So what if you die in the voting booth?

I don't know whether to laugh or cry at this AP article.

In short, if a voter dies after casting their ballot but before Election Day (something quite possible with absentee ballots)...What happens?

In some states, the vote counts. In some, no. Some probably leave it up to the county board of elections, I'm guessing (without checking).

So, Opinion Leaders...What do you think should happen to the votes of the recently deceased? (How would one verify the, uh, deceasedness of said voter, I wonder?) This for people who were alive when the vote was cast, I note.

Everybody has opinions...we'd like to hear yours.

MORE...

Really now, John!

Lets refine the question even more.

What if a person fills out their ballot and places it in the U. S. Mail on the date of the election but passes away later that night.

The ballot was legally cast in a timely manner.

In my opinion there should be no penalty against a voter because of having died.

ALBERT M. FORGET

big dog: I missed the Obama speech and this caught my eye.

It's that slow a news week.

-John

Liberalism is not dead...it just smells funny.

You need to check with Obama's original house district in Chicago... those corrupt libtards have been counting the votes of dead citizens for years. So once again, how is Hussein Obama a candidate of change?

anyone? anyone?

Lame topic but the topics are coming fast and furious.

It appears John needs a picture for the new topic... may I suggest using a pic of either McCain or Fred Thompson... since both those guys look like walking death anyway.

Speaking of dead people... I heard Helen Thomas has past away this PM.

BUT WILL THEY RESPECT HIM IN THE MORNING?
July 23, 2008


Back before the Republican Party was saddled with John McCain as its nominee, The New York Times called him "the only Republican who promises to end the George Bush style of governing from and on behalf of a small, angry fringe." The paper praised him for "working across the aisle to develop sound bipartisan legislation" and predicted that he would appeal to "a broader range of Americans than the rest of the Republican field."

At the same time, the Times denounced "the real" Rudy Giuliani as "a narrow, obsessively secretive, vindictive man" and Mitt Romney as "shape-shifting," claiming it's "hard to find an issue on which he has not repositioned himself to the right since he was governor of Massachusetts."

Here are a few issues I found that Romney hadn't switched positions on, and it wasn't "hard": tax cuts, health care, same-sex marriage, illegal immigration and the surge in Iraq. The only issue on which Romney had changed his position was abortion, irritating people who would prefer for Republicans to refuse to run in places like Massachusetts and New York City in order to preserve their perfect pro-life credentials.

Times columnist Nicholas Kristof echoed the editorial page in early February with a column titled: "Who Is More Electable?" In the very first sentence, Kristof concluded that McCain is "the Republican most likely to win the November election." Kristof touted McCain's "unusual appeal among swing voters" and cited polls that showed McCain would do "stunningly well" in a general election.

Also in February, CNN produced polls showing McCain doing better than "generic Republican" in a general election, which Jeffrey Toobin said was a tribute to how "well respected" McCain is. Hey, is it too late for us to nominate "generic Republican"?

And on MSNBC's "Hardball," from the way Chris Matthews carried on about McCain, you'd think he had caught a glimpse of Obama's ankle. Matthews said that McCain was "the real straight talker ... a profile in courage ... more seasoned than the current president, a patriot, of course ... honest and respected in the media. He has all the pluses in the world of a sort of a, you know, an Audie Murphy, if you will, a real war hero."

I guess the party's over.

Now the Times won't even publish McCain's op-ed. I wouldn't have published it either -- I've read it twice and I still can't remember what it says -- but I also wouldn't have published McCain's seven op-eds in The New York Times since 1996.

Since McCain has gone from being a Republican "maverick" who attacks Republicans and promotes liberal causes to the Republican nominee for president, he's also gone from being one of the Times' most frequent op-ed guest columnists to being an unpublishable illiterate.

I looked up McCain's oeuvre for the Times, and if you want unpublishable, that's unpublishable. In one column, McCain assailed Republicans for their lack of commitment to the environment, noting that polls -- probably the same ones showing him to be the most "electable" Republican -- indicated that "the environment is the voters' number-one concern about continued Republican leadership of Congress."

McCain concluded with this ringing peroration: "(O)ur nation's continued prosperity hinges on our ability to solve environmental problems and sustain the natural resources on which we all depend." That's good writing -- I mean assuming you're writing hack press releases for an irrelevant environmentalist think tank.

The rest of McCain's op-eds in the Times bravely took on -- I quote -- "unnecessary regulation" and "pork-barrel spending." It's that sort of courage and clear-headedness that tells me we're going to be OK this fall.

In coming out four-square against "unnecessary regulation" and "pork-barrel spending," McCain threw down the gauntlet to those who favor "unnecessary regulation" and "pork-barrel spending." Actually, I think there's a rule that says you're not being brave if there is not a single person in the world who would publicly disagree with you.

While the media are busy telling McCain that "It's not you, it's us," Al Gore, a recent Democratic candidate for president, has become certifiably nuts. Gore's increasingly bizarre public statements are a reminder of the dangers of going off carbs cold turkey.

On "Meet the Press" last weekend, Gore called on America to be carbon dioxide-free within 10 years. In the same spirit of pointlessness and futility, I call on America to be 100 percent oxygen-free within 10 years.

Say, how do "hot lap dances" affect global warming? Last week, a Gore supporter, Louis Posner, enraged over the result of the 2000 presidential election and founder of the Democratic voter organization Voter March, was arrested in New York on charges of prostitution and money laundering.

According to the police, in addition to sponsoring events with Vincent Bugliosi about Bush stealing the 2000 election, Posner ran a prostitution ring out of his club, the Hot Lap Dance Club, where employees say they were required to have sex with Posner in order to work there. No wonder Posner was so testy about the 2000 election -- he wanted to preserve the glory of the Clinton years.

Imagine the important reporting we could have gotten on the Hot Lap Dance Club story if only the entire American media weren't with the Messiah on his "Ich Bin Ein Berlitzer" Tour!

But a two-week vacation in Europe is just what B. Hussein Obama needs to polish up his speech about how all our geopolitical challenges are due to American boorishness and stupidity. That ought to make for a boffo op-ed in The New York Times.

COPYRIGHT 2008 ANN COULTER

"Ich Bin Ein Berlitzer"

instead Huessen Obama thought it meant..."Ich Bin Ein Bediener"

McCain may be a hero (forget the Articles of the Code of Conduct coined by Ike in April 1955) but he sure as hell is not Audie Murphy....get real.

unpoor,

I do not speak German(?) so I have no idea what either mean.

Meanwhile, despite the Dominant Liberal Mass media fawning over Obama as if he were the second coming of Christ, even though he lacks the experience to be dogcatcher of a medium sized city and right wing idiots like coulter constnatly trying to destroy us, McCain is gaining on Obama in the polls. Indeed here in colorado Obama has gone from 5 full ponts ahead to one point behind! I think Obama and his pals in the media are overplaying their hand.

John re topics you just go from bad to worse this one is so bad , pure dirivel, that I'm not even going to comment.

winter I have no idea what your comment means, who even suggested that McCain was like Audie Murphy?

unpoor.

Since votes are officially counted after the polls close, anyone who has cast a valid ballot should have their vote counted.

This is really no different than someone using "early voting" which is available in many jurisdictions, where polling locations in malls and at the local Register of Voters are often open a week or more before the official election day.

Someone casting an absentee ballot, in all locations I know of, one must sign the outside back of the envelope, adding their address, etc.

Someone asked how they would know they are 'dead"...and that is verified the same way as Social Security verifies it, through the local issuer of Death Certificates. Everyone must be given one....and in many locations those are automatically compared by computer with voter rolls, as well as state tax authorities, etc.

This seems like a silly subject to most but as one of those who faced this reality I can bring a different perspective to it.

My sister passed away a couple of weeks before the 2004 elections and had cast an absentee ballot because her health problems led us to think that she would not be able to go to the polls on election day.

Having been the one who mailed it for her and knowing what casting that ballot meant to her it would upset me greatly to think that some bureaucrat pulled her ballot and tossed it in the garbage. For me, it would have only added to the loss thinking that the government dismissed her final act as a citizen of the country.

As the administrator of her estate I can tell you that she was taxed up until the day she died.

With the passage of time one may come to see that elections are about the future and that person would no longer have a place in it but this is not something someone who just lost a loved one wants to hear.

Unpoor, thanks for putting up Ann's latest. Good stuff. At least someone else sees things clearly. As I have been telling you, the drive by media loved and promoted McVain. Now he's been jilted and he doesn't get it.

Liberalism, as I always say, is still a mental disorder.

It's a good thing there is no bias in the drive by media. Their unrelenting drive to saddle the country with Sen. B. Hussein Osama Obama (D-Syria) as the next president does not end with free publicity and propoganda. They are also putting their money in. According to Investors Business Daily, donations to Democrats are 100 to 1 over those to Republicans by members of the media elite. I am shocked.

This topic sounds like another way of being able to discount some military votes should a battle occur near election day and some or many losses occur. I am sure the media would help identify the casualties so the votes could be struck. Mental disorders cause this type of thinking.

Sen. B. Hussein Osama Obama (D-Nation of Islam) also proclaimed in Europe that he is a citizen of the world. That should make him ineligible for presidency then, correct?

froggy quote: "In my opinion there should be no penalty against a voter for having died."

Spoken like a true Democrat ! Lyndon Johnson, Richard Daly and many, many other democrats would be proud of your support.

Freedom Warrior: The first German comment by unpoor is nonsense in that he's trying to say "I'm a Berlitzer" meaning the self taught language courses, I guess. The other "Ich bin ein Bediener means "I am a servant" My guess is it's all a take off on Kennedy's "Ich bin ein Berliner" which meant he is a type of donut. Had he said 'Ich bin Berliner' he would have accurately stated 'I am a Berliner.

One striking thing about the European speeches of Sen. B. Hussein Osama Obama (D-Kenya) is that he did not saying anything laudatory about the American free enterprise, liberty, or the fact that we saved Europe from fascism and we saved it from communism. Our soldiers spilled a great deal of American blood on their soil in those great causes. He would rather laud global organizations like the UN and talk about shared sacrifice (ie. tax penalties and restricted liberty) for the sake of the environment.

Posted by: BobbyGee on Jul 25, 08 | 9:33 am

BG, having read most of Al's post since he has been here, I think you may have minsterpreted his statement.

I read, "In my opinion there should be no penalty against a voter for having died." to mean that if a person votes in the current election, then immediately dies, that vote should count. BG, count for that election and that election alone, not future elections.

Shutter gave a good example in one of this posts.

Of course, Al will have no problem speaking for himself........

The drive by media is treating the Obama trip as if it is the second coming of Christ. They are his disciples. They act like he bestows blessings on the lowly. I am surprised that they didn't show him parting the Red Sea.

More lies from Sen. B. Hussein Osama Obama (D-Kenya). He claimed that he canceled a stop to visit the troops because it would have been improper to involve them in a campaign. Lie. The truth now comes out. The military commanders told him that he could visit the troops but he could not bring any cameras. Then he canceled the stop because he couldn't get a photo op out of it.

montego, DOD put the nix on the visit...last I heard, commanders came under the DOD...I'm not an Obama fan but, when the unbased S*** starts flying, it's obvious what folks real motives are...as in the case of MLK and J. Edgar Hoover...get the true facts and post them, then there is no harm done.

I tried to tell TK the same thing, Winter. People believe what they want to.

Neither am I an Obama fan and I do not necessarily support the tenor of his trip, but I wish facts to be identified as facts...not as hearsay.

But then it is obvious, the people who do not like this man will find fault in everything he does.

Congressmen have been performing CODEL visits since you know when and everything is OK.

Maybe there is a lot of sour grapes.......

BD, LOL...Am I the only one thAt noticed a little bit of the Baptist preAcher tempo in his presentation ? OOOPS! More ammo for the haters :-)

A Mideastern/European Revival Meeting.....

richstacy,

Posted by: richstacy on Jul 25, 08 | 1:27 am

On Jul 24, 08 | 6:30 pm unpoor cut and pasted a column by Ann Coulter here.

At the end of the 6th paragraph Ms. Coulter’s article, Chris Matthews is quoted as having likened John McCain to Audie Murphy. It was in regard to that “quotation” that wintersoldier offered his comment

I, too, find no such comparison appropriate.

Audie Murphy fought in direct combat on the ground in many battles, saved the lives of many of his comrades in arms and was awarded the Medal of Honor for what he had done. All of the 33 decorations (and the 5 awards presented to him by foreign governments) were as a result of armed conflict with the enemy.

John McCain showed perseverance, stamina, and dedication to his fellow prisoners—things which are expected of every prisoner—and was presented several awards and decorations stemming from his ejection from his aircraft (which resulted in his injuries) and from having been imprisoned. The other decorations presented to John McCain came as a result of his service in what might be described as administrative positions.

One of those decorations (The Meritorious Service Medal) was originally authorized as a way of recognizing the service of enlisted personnel when they had performed meritorious service (in a non-combat role) of the caliber for which an officer might be awarded the Legion of Merit. It was only later that the Meritorious Service Medal came to be awarded predominately to officers (usually at the end of an assignment) when their service (though meritorious) did not rise to the level which would support award of the Legion of Merit.

John McCain flew 23 combat missions for an estimated total of 20 hours over enemy territory.

Audie Murphy spent interminable days and nights on the front lines.

There seems to me to be considerable differences between the two.

Both men rendered honorable service to this country of ours and are deserving of our respect.

But, I would posit, the actions of Audie Murphy were far more heroic than were those of Senator McCain.

ALBERT M. FORGET

Posted by: BobbyGee on Jul 25, 08 | 9:33 am

There is a tremendous difference between a living person casting a ballot (which is the case when a person casts an absentee ballot in an election cycle and/or at the polling place) and a ballot which is cast by some other person once the individual has been interred.

In the last general election cycle here in the State of Washington there was a case in which a bereaved widow sent in her Husband's absentee ballot. That case ended up in court as Republicans demanded she be prosecuted.

You, I am certain, know full well that I was not making reference to people voting from the grave and I would not have suspected you of trying to convolute my remarks in that manner.

ALBERT M. FORGET

And with that I am out the door to pay my respects to the good wife for 45 years of a friend.

Both she and her Husband have for the 25 years (and more) that I have known them voted for republican candidates; but, despite our differing viewpoints on many matters, never had anything but the greatest respect for one another.

I wish that that attitude could apply to all of us.

ALBERT M. FORGET

And with that I am out the door to pay my respects to the good wife for 45 years of a friend.

Both she and her Husband have for the 25 years (and more) that I have known them voted for republican candidates; but, despite our differing viewpoints on many matters, never had anything but the greatest respect for one another.

I wish that that attitude could apply to all of us.

ALBERT M. FORGET

Montego,

What you said about Obama is true.

The military did not exclude him from seeing the troops.

They told him he couldn't turn it into a campaign event and couldn't bring cameramen and photographers.

His campaign spinners are lying to the public.

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/07/25/obama-cancels-visit-to-us-troops-in-germany/

big dog/froggy: My post was in a jocular vein. I knew full well what froggy meant and was just trying to get a 'rise' out of his 'dead' comment.

Get that one ? :^|

You know that foreign person Chistaina Amampour (Sp) the basically anti-America woman from CNN? She actually called Obama "this president" today with out missing a beat, as she was fawning over his wonderful performance in Berlin. I kid you not! Nor did her slip of the tongue get any correction form Wolfie baby. CNN is completely around the bend here. they have already got this inexperienced egotistical would be emperor crowned and installed even though he has not yet been nominated! Could there undeserved white guilt be THAT strong? I guess it is. It has to be the color of his skin that they are 'ga ga' over, it damn sure isn't his accomplishments or his understanding of the issues or his solutions for the problems that plague the world. Oh if only we elect a black man the we will not need to feel guilty anymore because some ancestor that we never heard of may have had a slave in the distant past.

That is just NOT a good enough reason for me. The man is a socialist. even as the socialists in Europe are moving away form high taxes and toward free markets, he wants to move the other way and destroy our economy by stifling innovation, ingenuity and job creation with tax increases and vast new government programs. He would be a disaster for America! NOBAMA!

mOPNTEGO SAYS, "The drive by media is treating the Obama trip as if it is the second coming of Christ. They are his disciples. They act like he bestows blessings on the lowly. I am surprised that they didn't show him parting the Red Sea.

Posted by: montego on Jul 25, 08 | 12:38 pm"

I agree 10,000%!!

With respect to Ann Coulter, what a pity that she squanders her considerable talent. wasting it on hatred for John McCain, a hero who has suffered things she can't even imagine, instead of directing her acid tongue to the would be emperor, Barack Hussein Obama! She could do so much good and instead she does so much harm.

winter (mk),

You are incorrect; the DOD said he was not only welcome, but wanted and prepared for. He was told however that he could not bring his "campaign staff", reporters or TV cameras (no photo op? no wonder he did not go - he cares nothing for our troops, IMO).

Hillary Clinton visited many of the troops, as has John McCain, with the exact same restrictions.

As a soldier, I am sure you can understand, that the wounded and their families may not want the publicity, but most would be honored by the effort & the visit.

Obama is a B*LLSH*TTER - "the only difference between Obama & Osama is BS" (LOL)!!!!

So, FreedomWarrior, what did you discover about how you were misquoted.

No, not misquoted, rather mis-associated.

What was unpoor's response?

Or did you enjoy the identify theft?

thanks Bobby.

Paul,

identity theft? that is a gross overstatement!

I know unpoor, I like unpoor and I do not believe he had malicious or vindictive motives. I am certainly far less offended than I have been in the dozens of incidents in which liberals have done it, for totally self-serving, malicious and vindictive reasons. I will admit that this is the 1st time a conservative has done it so blatantly, but no harm, no foul.

I always correct these fraudulent statements, regardless of the persuasion of poster; but hey, nice try to light the tinder & start a feud. I give you 6 out of 10 for technique & timing.

FW, (MK) I may have been misinformed,.... as I listen to the guys down the road from me (Ft Carson, Colorado), if so, I stand corrected....as for unpoor and his half black comments and imitations of how black folks conduct dialogue, I find him at times very offensive...having small ears, normal lips and a Sicilian name, I gather should I be running for office, he would manage to reach down deep in his lame heart and come up with something to push, in a feeble attempt, my buttons.
In defense of froggy, at least he puts it all out at one time instead of in snippets like you-know-who and their meandering attacks on whatever. A mime is a terrible thing to waste.

BD and Winter: I believe i am owed an apology for being told that i was wrong on the Obama troop visit.

Thanks freedom for straighting them out. You are absolutely correct when you say that the D senator does not care about the troops. They are the ones that have done the bad deeds that he blames America for, such as killing innocents and torture.
If somebody is running for president of the united states and making a speech out of country i believe i would remind the world community of the amount of foreign aid that the us has given over the past 50 years. The countries that we have spilled blood for and provided them freedom to live their lives. I would tell then how many immigrants we has accepted from their countries and how they assimilated into our culture and how many have excelled in the American dream.

If we are so damn bad why did these millions of immigrants come here and why are millions still coming. We are the greatest and we intend to remain so. If you wish to remain our friend you will thank us for what we have given you and join us in making the world a better place through our leadership.

We are the world leader in peacemaking and we are going to stay there. If you want to be free please join us.

Senator McCain has my permission to use any or all of the above.

winter (MK) you have been mislead, maybe intentionally, like 75% of America, by the MM, about Obama's visit (or not visiting), so no apology is even needed.

As for unpoor; I agree that his snippets are often, no - always, inflammatory, often racist and many times uncalled for; I would like to say in his defense and Lord knows he needs one, ignore the racist, inflammatory crap and he often has a relevant point.

I too, however, would like to see the racist/bigoted bullshit stopped; I think it is uncalled, unnecessary and untrue.

I have many black, yellow, red and brown friends that do not fall into the racist hole that unpoor, montego and many others here try to put them in - especially you, my blog mentor.

I would like to share a story; I went to a Kerry "welcome" (visit) to protest his attempt to BS my state, as he had so many others. I had a sign, which was a large poster board stating 9 out of 10 terrorist would vote for Kerry. While I was greatly outnumbered (at least 10 to 1), I said nothing negative to anyone there, just held my sign as high as I could (so as to e seen by passing traffic).

Whilst I was there, waiting for my brother (a now retired Marine) to join me, MANY liberals attacked me verbally. I calmly tried to debate them, without insults, name calling or threats - I just used facts and reason (2 things that are like poison to most liberals) to little avail.

A Scot then approached me and tried to intimidate me, by pushing me with his chest and telling me I better find a cop to help me. Now, as I have stated, I am a long time Muay Thai fighter and would easily have spanked this little mac with very little effort and was very near to doing just that when my brother arrived.

My brother is massive and fully trained in the art of combat/battle himself (which is one of the reasons why I began M.T. in the first place). He stepped between us, once he saw me put down my sign and take position, (from 1/2 block away - he ran all the way), with his back to the mac, & he said to me these words, which to this day echo in my head whenever I want to punch some political moron; "you do not want to let our side down. If you do this, the media will film it, put it on the news and use it as evidence of how 'brutal' the right is & then they win. Just keep smiling and using your 'calm voice' & reason. They will get tired of this and leave."

Which they did. They went to another corner and stopped speaking to us altogether.

My point is this; monty, unpoor, and many others - you let us all down when you talk with bigoted, hateful and untrue labels. The left then uses those outrageous statements to say "look at how bigoted & hateful the right is" and it completely diminishes any point you may be trying to make, no matter how valid that point may be.

I am not your keeper, your boss, nor your mom, so I would dare to try to tell you want to say or not to say - this is just food for thought.

You would have to search long and hard to find a better man than winter and your racist comments are offensive not only to him, but to all of us that know the comments are absolute & total BULLSHIT!

FW says, "My point is this; monty, unpoor, and many others - you let us all down when you talk with bigoted, hateful and untrue labels. The left then uses those outrageous statements to say "look at how bigoted & hateful the right is" and it completely diminishes any point you may be trying to make, no matter how valid that point may be."

Amen FW! Wish I'd said that!!

What a huge waste of time this board is....it degenerates into the same clap-trap as everywhere else on the Net.

People who say they are "liberals" but are no such thing, in reality. A liberal is someone like John F. Kennedy, Harry Truman or Lyndon Johnson. It would never occur to them to adopt some "world view" internationalist position, and take glee in proclaiming to the world how horribly wrong their country is.

Iraq and Obama brings to mind John F. Kennedy having throngs cheering and chanting (not unlike Obama) in adoration of him. The difference was, Jack Kennedy was telling us:

"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty.
This much we pledge—and more."

We did that for the people of Iraq, and WMD's were not on Kennedy's mind as being a necessary justification to do that. All that was necessary, in his now rather quaint thinking was that human's, somewhere, someplace, were being deprived of liberty.

If he were alive today, one can just imagine the savaging he would get from the crowd at the Daily Kos, Huffington Post and even from the Daily Show! He would be hated and branded a NeoCon (or worse) no doubt.

Ridge, You are entitled to your opinion about this board, though your post has some very valid points thanks for that any how.
tk, apology rendered, sicerely.
FW, (MK) Thank you for your eloquence, you and a few others are the reason I keep coming back and learning and hopefully contributing to some sense of rationality.
I just looked at the time...I've been having so much fun reading books on this machine, I lost track of time..night/morning all.

I calls 'em as I sees 'em.

Thanks winter, ditto for me.

Ridge,
you are wrong about this board, but you are 100% right about the Democrats. The party of FDR, Truman, Scoop Jackson and JFK is dead. None of those honorable liberals, who always put America first and who loved their country would recognize their party today.

McCain who trailed Obama last week is now leading him here in Colorado. Similarly, Boulder leftist Mark Udall, vying with Bob Schaffer for Colorado's open Senate seat. is rapidly losing ground. Reason in both cases: Obama and Udall oppose drilling as one way of reducing our dependence on foreign oil and bringing down the price of gas at the pump. This is a winning issue for the Republicans.

Note to unpoor and montego: It is a sure-fire loser here in Colorado to oppose wind power and solar. (A small but significant portion of our power is already provided by wind and it is growing by leaps and bounds) Schaffer, a very conservative candidate supports it, no one opposes it. Both he and McCain also support nuclear power as well. Still a lot of irrational fear about that.

Bd and Tk, TK is right, Obama only wanted to meet the troops if he could exploit them for his own political purpose. That says more about this guy than all the grandiose Berlin speeches in the world!
NOBAMA!

wintersoldier--It's just that I get so tired of the same "talking points" seen everywhere, I sometimes think it's the same person with 100 screen names, making the exact same posts all over the Net. ;-)

Richstacy:

*There are still some of those Democrats out there, don't lose hope. Sometime the Democrats will learn to ignore the radical Kos/Huffpo elements, and then will win an election.

*America needs solar, nuke, wind, coal, natural gas, oil and fuel cells to cover its insatiable needs. Oklahoma City, Amarillo, with their winds, should have 10,000 turbines by now. Old thinking dies hard....

*I am not liking Obama much, but everyone needs to remember he is indeed a green horn. The mistake with the hospital is typical freshman type mistake. I don't feel in my heart their intentions were bad, they just didn't have a clue as to the "rules" and coming from a place where the military isn't much valued, they are playing catch-up, as they know now they need to learn the culture if he is to govern. The best thing they could have done was to send Obama, with a Senate staffer, to the hospital. DOD had agreed to let his campaign plane land there (and this fact alone is BIG, showing they were trying to make his visit happen) and provide a photographer to document his visit. All water under the bridge now.

*As for McCain, his handlers need to let him be McCain. With Reagan, we learned pretty early on that letting him be who he was, including the mis-statements of fact or memory, ended up being "endearing". Only a monster or a bot doesn't screw up. Millions voted for Reagan not because they agreed with him, but because they at least sensed he spoke his mind. People are hungry for "plain speaking" and direct talk. McCain had that once, and it is a big mistake to try and stop his malapropism and peevish ways.

Apologies to all for my too-harsh pronouncement on this board...I am often lazy and take short-cuts in expressing what my mood is, and that is a danger! :p

Ridge, You, like all of us, are only human and I'm not being patronizing when I say I get where you're coming from....at one time or another we've all had our fill of what seeems to be the same old .....stuff..hang with us, every once in a while a lightbulb goes off :-)

Ridge: While some stuff on this blog is repetitive you will find that the experience of the people on this blog contribute information that has not appeared anywhere else on the net. Stick around and you will learn some things. You are right on on your contribution.

Thanks winter. I knew you had been at the club again and got half of the information.

Some of those retired E7's at the bar get a little loaded in the evening. Same thing in the officers club. Generals become idiots when they retire and go into politics.

What books youo reading?

Shutter did you get my off line email?

I do not know if this is true or a fake but it was forwarded to me by a battle mate from VN.

Hello everyone,
As you know I am not a very political person. I just wanted to pass
along
that Senator Obama came to Bagram Afghanistan for about an hour on his
visit to
'The War Zone'. I wanted to share with you what happened.
He got off the plane and got into a bullet proof vehicle, got to the
area
to
meet with the Major General (2 Star) who is the commander here at
Bagram.

As the Soldiers where lined up to shake his hand he blew them off and
didn't
say a word as he went into the conference room to meet the General. As
he
finished, the vehicles took him to the ClamShell (pretty much a big top

tent
that military personnel can play basketball or work out in with
weights)
so he
could take his publicity pictures playing basketball. He again shunned
the
opportunity to talk to Soldiers to thank them for their service.

So really he was just here to make a showing for the American's back
home
that he is their candidate for President. I think that if you are going
to
make
an effort to come all the way over here you would thank those that are
providing the freedom that they are providing for you.

I swear we got more thanks from the NBA Basketball Players or the
Dallas
Cowboy Cheer leaders than from one of the Senators, who wants to be the
President of the United States. I just don't understand how anyone
would
want him to
be our Commander-and-Chief. It was almost that he was scared to be
around
those that provide the freedom for him and our great country.

If this is blunt and to the point I am sorry but I wanted you all to
know
what kind of caliber of person he really is. What you see in the news
is
all fake.

In service,
CPT Jeffrey S. Porter
Battle Captain
TF Wasatch
American Soldier
Don Herpen
herpen@comast.net
American by birth
MARINE
by the grace of God
Semper Fi

It was sent to his wife who forwarded it to my friend. That tells you why he did not want to go to Landsteul.

I do not think his mind set will allow him to shake hands with a troop.

tk, LOL!!!! The club is not my thing...haven't been to one since Frankfurt in 1994 and V Corps closed up and went to Hanau. I'm rereading E.A. Poe, the only guy I really like from Boston, along with Dean Koontz, Stephen King and heh, heh the Time Almanac, last but not least, National Geographic...surpising how things change comparartively-wise when you go back a bit.

RE. All, Obama, I told you so, many moons ago...but it's OK, I'm just an old soldier that reads BS pretty quickly...sure would have been nice if all the masks on both side were discarded, but that wouldn't be fun, would it ?

AT LAST! The liberal mass media can no longer hide the fact. this is the very first of their stories admitting the truth. We are winning in Iraq!!

By ROBERT BURNS and ROBERT H. REID

"BAGHDAD (AP) -- The United States is now winning the war that two years ago seemed lost. Limited, sometimes sharp fighting and periodic terrorist bombings in Iraq are likely to continue, possibly for years. But the Iraqi government and the U.S. now are able to shift focus from mainly combat to mainly building the fragile beginnings of peace - a transition that many found almost unthinkable as recently as one year ago.

Despite the occasional bursts of violence, Iraq has reached the point where the insurgents, who once controlled whole cities, no longer have the clout to threaten the viability of the central government.

Scattered battles go on, especially against al-Qaida holdouts north of Baghdad. But organized resistance, with the steady drumbeat of bombings, kidnappings, assassinations and ambushes that once rocked the capital daily, has all but ceased.

This amounts to more than a lull in the violence. It reflects a fundamental shift in the outlook for the Sunni minority, which held power under Saddam Hussein. They launched the insurgency five years ago. They now are either sidelined or have switched sides to cooperate with the Americans in return for money and political support.

Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, told The Associated Press this past week there are early indications that senior leaders of al-Qaida may be considering shifting their main focus from Iraq to the war in Afghanistan."

See the whole article here:

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/IRAQ_WINNING_THE_WAR?SITE=MSJAD&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

The surge, urged by John McCain, worked!! This is the only reason little barack can with a straight face propose a timetable for withdrawal. Hell he wanted to cut and run in defeat two years ago when the war "was lost," or so all the liberal like obama and Harry Reid thought. McCain and the Republican party should be able to ride this issue right into the White House.

Winter: Wish i had time to read. I am about two months behind on paper work and have some political issues with the winery i have to work. To top it off the new dog ate the check register from the first of the year. That will take a few hours to recreate from the statements.and canceled checks. about 400 or so. He is just a pup 5 months old. Hope the chewing stops soon.
I have 10 books on my night stand to read. Piling up over the past 7 months. One from Christimas.

How come the spell checker makes me capitalize Christmas and not holidays?

Holiday's is "generic" while Christmas is specific... ;-)

tk, I betcha it's time for a scanner, Paperport and Adobe...either that, or eat the dog :-)

Winter...."Vitality Soup" you gotta love it!
You recall what that is?

Ridge, Wei Pei ?? Everything vegetable minus the kitchen sink...haven't heard that one in a long time...somtimes supplemented with small, tender four legged critters :-/

The absolute fave of Korea and Beijing!

Banned in China for the duration of the Olympics, as it was in Korea....

:D

Iowans to congressmen: Stop immigration raids

By HENRY C. JACKSON, Associated Press Writer
Sat Jul 26, 8:32 PM ET



POSTVILLE, Iowa - An immigration raid that arrested nearly 400 people in northeastern Iowa scarred a small town and tore families apart, residents said Saturday.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080727/ap_on_re_us/immigration_raid_meeting_1

__________________________________

The above referenced story had raised my blood pressure to an unhealthy level.

The headline alone suggests that Iowans in general are against ICE raids. The story goes on to tell how residents of the state told congressmen about all the bad things that happened after the Postville raid.

I usually don’t buy into the stuff about the mainstream media having an agenda but this story makes me feel like a chump for not believing it.

I can tell you that this is one Iowan who IS NOT against Ice raids and thinks whole heartedly that we need to have more, not stop them altogether.

I can tell you that I think that the meat packing plant that employed these illegals should be forced out of business.

I can tell you that I am not the only Iowan who feels this way.

I can tell you that this congressional delegation that the residents talked to were from outside our state, not one of them were from Iowa and that they were all connected to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Not an unbiased representation at all.

I can tell you that the mayor of Postville speaking against this and other raids did so from a biased basis. They benefitted from the illegals living in their town and took advantage of the situation. They should be held as accomplices to an illegal act and face criminal prosecution instead of being allowed to spout off about being aggrieved when a government agency is actually doing it’s job under the laws of this nation.

I can tell you that all of the residents that they are speaking about are also not disinterested parties, they are the families and friends of illegals and again accessories before and after the fact.

I can tell you that this WAS NOT average Iowans telling OUR OWN congressmen what we think and feel about the issue, it was people with a bone to pick and an agenda to push.

And I can tell you that I am sick and tired of bleeding heart liberals trying to twist things into sounding as opposite of the actual truth.

TK, because Christ's name is in Chirstmas.

No one but me thinks it's beyond amazing that the Associated Press, usually very much part of the liberal mass media, has declared that we are winning in Iraq, whereas before all the liberals thought the war was already lost??

We are keeping the lid on IMHO, as long as folks are contributing blood and lives, I will remain skeptical about the progress angle...I believe the statements are for the benefit of the troops/morale. I pose a situation.....you are in Denver and 8 folks get blown up or shot up in one location..is that not a bloodbath ? or is it just because it's over there and out of sight that the impact is lessened ? Think about it...that along with the non publication of kidnappings and beheadings...Geneva Convention forbid (get that al?) projects are slowly being completed and that is a good thing, but I grow weary of feeding the tree of freedom with the blood of our youth.
Shutter, folks will never accept the definition ....illegal because to do so would expose them to the tag of crooks and exploiters of less disadvantaged people and it has been going on for as long as I can remember.

What is a "bloodbath" in an American city, where such things are mostly rare, and what is a "bloodbath" in a combat situation where death is expected and rather common, is an apples and oranges comparison, I submit.

great article rich - it sure is nice to see some honest reporting on Iraq by the MM. Now if we can just get them to apply this model to all news? Just a thought.

When this war proves to be a success, I wonder how many people will admit they were wrong?

My Grandad always used to say; "nothin' worth havin' is ever easy to get", how true that is.

Ridge, sounds good...so apples here are oranges there ? Life is life and should you hold different values as to what life is...you reinforce the idea that I sure am glad I'm not able to fight and die wearing a uniform or other wise...life ain't cheap...anywhere .

In my opinion the armed forces should never be used (even as a background) for a political event.

The President (it is reported) makes certain his visits with injured troops—and with the families of those killed—are not publicized. That is as it should be.

I would hope neither Senator McCain nor Senator Obama would ever as part of a political campaign make such a visit.

To me for either of them to do so would be akin to those "good Christians" (members of the Westboro Baptist Church) loudly touting their messages at the funerals of our fallen.

I look on all this brouhaha as but a continuation of the practice of some individuals to suggest that some of our citizens are not quite so equal as are others because of the political views they hold.

If anybody was to try to tell me the tkearns, wintersoldier or any of the other veterans who participate here (even though I disagree with their political points of view from time to time) was less an American than they are, I would be in their face without hesitation.

We are all Americans.

Barack Obama has frequently visited with our injured at Walter Reed and elsewhere. He has done so quietly and without fanfare as it should be.

There are very serious reasons behind the strictures under which military personnel live regarding participation in political life—primary among those reasons is the history our founding fathers were dealing with when they put their lives on the line for us against the King of England who used his armies to further his (governmental/political) interests.

Posse Comitatus exists for that reason.

The regulations prohibiting active participation in political campaigns while in uniform exist for that reason.

Article 88 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (titled “Contempt toward officials”), Article 92 (Failure to obey order or regulation), 94 (titled Mutiny or Sedition), and 133 (Conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman) all exist in part for that reason.

And, it should be noted, that certain of those strictures are enforceable even it the individual is not wearing the uniform—such as when Robert McGinnis, who in civilian attire but identifying himself by his military rank and assignment, spoke out publicly against President Clinton.

He was, as have been other officers before him and since, given the opportunity to retire or face trial by court-martial.

Just as it would be wrong for military personnel to (acting as military personnel) actively participate in political activities; it is equally wrong for political figures to put such personnel in the position of seemingly so participating.

That is precisely why the rules are written as they are.

ALBERT M. FORGET

al, I beg to differ...the president has made his visits to wounded vets public along with doing what is required of him....returning salutes. A we all know, article 92 is not limited to your quote but is used to cover anything not otherwise covered specifically by the Code.

wintersoldier,

Posted by: wintersoldier on Jul 27, 08 | 1:15 pm

I am with you on this one and fully support what you said in response to Ridgeliner.

Whether it was conscious or not, trying to suggest that what might be called a bloodbath in an American city would not be quite so much of concern if those killed were American troops in a combat zone seems to me to devalue the lives of those who are sent in harm's way on our behalf.

That, in my opinion, is shameful!

If the intent of the "surge" was to keep a lid on things it has been somewhat successful.

If, as announced, the intent was to give the "duly-constituted government of Iraq” time to get its act together; to permit its military and police forces to be able to handle conflict and enforce law and order on their own; and, to put in place a system for sharing the wealth derived from exploitation of their resources, the "surge" seems to not have been so much of a success as might have been hoped.

It seems that even once the “surge” has officially ended there will be more of our military personnel in Iraq than were there before it was ordered.

Our forces have followed every order given to them and have performed honorably and heroically. They deserve every tribute we can give to them.

If they have been successful—if the purposes for which they were sent to Iraq has been fulfilled—it is (in my opinion) time to start drawing down our presence in a manner which does not jeopardize them further.

I would hope that we are not once again offered some different spin as a basis for keeping our forces in Iraq. There must come a time when Iraq is permitted to be Iraq—a time when the citizens of that beleaguered nation can get on with ruling themselves.

The purpose of the “surge” was to permit that to happen and I think it is time for us to let the child we have begat walk on its own.

We have, in my opinion, gone far too long without an exit strategy.

ALBERT M. FORGET

wintersoldier,

I believe you may have forgotten the intricacies of the UCMJ.

Article 92 thereof (Failure to obey a general order or regulation) criminalizes (makes subject to punishment) failue to comply with the provisions of a general order or regulation.

By definition a general order or regulation is one issued by an authority not more than 3 steps removed from the Secretary of the military department which issues the order or regulation.

It also makes subject to punishment failure to obey any other lawful order of which the individual has knowledge

al, on that we agree...we have been asked to leave and no matter what spin has been put on the request, the request exists...we are acting like divorcees sometimes do, "I can't believe you mean it"

shutterhunter: I viewed TV coverage of the Postville 'raid' and from all aspects it was presented as something any decent human being would be against. Families 'ripped' apart. Children left without fathers. Destitute people now living on the dole from a local Catholic church with diminishing funds. The camera kept going to a waitress being interviewed bemoaning the terrible treatment by ICE against decent people only trying to make a living etc, etc, etc, ad nauseum.

The fact that the people detained are illegal immigrants using falsely obtained social security documents received no emphasis.

Purely biased reporting.

Richstacy,

Your comment:

"...whereas before all the liberals thought the war was already lost??"

Now, that may be something you would like to think that all liberals thought and I can understand how you could take some comfort in that.

The comment, however, is an absurd generalization.

Which you're very good at making!

While some liberals my have felt that way not all liberals did (or do), just as some conservatives may have felt that way (and still do).

wintersoldier,

I hit the "submit" button before I had finished and so, continuing—

The difference between a general order or regulation and any other lawful order is that the individual does not have to have knowledge of the general order or regulation to be subject to prosecution for violating it.

The Secretary of Defense has issued orders making prosecutable by court-martial the participation of active duty military personnel in political activities when they are in uniform or when they are identifying themselves as being members of the armed forces.

The Secretaries of the various armed forces and the Chiefs of Staff thereof have, as well, issued general orders or regulations pertaining to that subject.

Among the purposes of those orders and regulations is making certain our military is not perceived as supporting one political stand or another.

Of course, Article 92 also covers dereliction of duty.

Along the line I believe you must have pored over the Manual for Courts-Martial—the Executive Order through which the President establishes the rules which will govern how the UCMJ is implemented and carried into effect.

In that Manual, as you will recall, each Article of the Code is explained in considerable detail.

It is required that each member of the armed forces have explained to them on an annual basis what is covered by the Code. Very few, however, ever have reason to know the intricacies covered in the Manual for Courts-Martial.

Article 92 relates solely to: violation of a general order or regulation; violation of a lawful order of which he or she has knowledge and which he or she is required to obey; and dereliction of duty.

Most of the other “punitive articles”—the “punitive articles” being Articles 77 through 134—pertain to specific crimes. Article 133 (Conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman) and Article 134 (General Article) provide for the punishment of crimes not specifically covered by the other articles.

Article 134 makes punishable “. . . all disorders and neglects to the prejudice of good order and discipline in the armed forces, all conduct of a nature to bring discredit upon the armed forces, and crimes and offenses not capital. . .”

And, of course, for an individual to be successfully prosecuted the specified “elements of proof” must exist.

That sort of stuff is important but, to even attempt to explain the intricacies of what is required would take volumes.

While you know such things, for those who might not I would refer them to and counsel them that trying to understand everything involved would take dedication and a good deal of determination.

ALBERT M. FORGET

wintersoldier,

Posted by: wintersoldier on Jul 27, 08 | 6:47 pm

I must at this juncture be having a senior moment (which at 74 might be expected), but for the life of me cannot determine to what you were making reference when you wrote "I can't believe you mean it".

ALBERT M. FORGET

In my posting of Jul 27, 08 | 7:11 pm the final paragraph should have read:

“While you know such things, for those who might not I would refer them to http://usmilitary.about.com/od/justicelawlegislation/l/blucmj.htm and counsel them that trying to understand everything involved would take dedication and a good deal of determination.”

ALBERT M. FORGET

I have commented on this before.

It's worth saying again.

There should be no question as to the need for or the effectiveness thereof of the surge.

There should be lots of questions as to why it was needed.

Now the Bush administration may take credit with the surge for doing something right, but had it managed the war more adroitly from the start, the surge never would have been needed.

So, all you conservatives out there, give yourselves a big pat on the back for the way the surge has worked.

At the same time, give yourselves a big kick in the ass for the initial blunders that made the surge necessary!

If, as announced, the intent was to give the "duly-constituted government of Iraq” time to get its act together; to permit its military and police forces to be able to handle conflict and enforce law and order on their own; and, to put in place a system for sharing the wealth derived from exploitation of their resources, the "surge" seems to not have been so much of a success as might have been hoped. Al posted the above.

That is exactly what the surge has achieved. NOt 100% but the government has formed faster than ours did many years ago and yes still things have to be done. I would say the same for our government. When 75% of the people want to drill and the leaders of the senate and house will not allow a vote on releasing the ban i would say we are not acting as stand alone either. 10 of 18 provenances are on their own. No provenance is out of control. The government has met 15 of 18 goals they and we set. You are the only one that requires perfection al. Admit it like your candidate will not. The surge turned the war into a win win situation and you are afraid that if you admit it it will prove that you were against it for political reasons.

Paul: Like all editors you speak as after the fact. As you know you go into battle not knowing what the conditions will be when you get there and since we had no intelligence or little on the interior of Iraq conditions turned out to be different. If its and Buts were candy and nuts we all would have a good holiday season (or Christmas) as it originally read before the censors (liberal editors) got to it.

Is not Monday morning quarterbacking fun, paul?

Nonsense, tkearns.

And you know damned well it is

And what the hell do you know about editors anyway.

tkearns,

Posted by: tkearns on Jul 27, 08 | 8:12 pm

We were not invaded by another country which enforced their ideas of what we should become on us.

We did invade Iraq and presumed to do exactly that.

Just because 75 percent of those polled (people suffering from the high prices resulting from manipulated oil futures) are angry and (without really knowing all the facts but assaulted by spin from certain talking heads) think it is a good idea to drill everywhere does not make it a good idea in the long view of things.

Incidentally, a reading of "The Federalist Papers" would demonstrate that our Founding Fathers were intent (among other concerns) on saving us from what they referred to as "a tyranny of the majority".

That is precisely why they tried to insulate the members of the Senate (to at least some degree) from whatever the popular opinion at any moment might be by providing them 6-year terms in office.

That is precisely why the Senate has the rules under which they do their business which provides that 2/3rds of the members present and voting must agree else debate cannot continue on a measure before the body. It is known as a filibuster and (Lord knows) it has been used very frequently indeed in the present Congress.

I would suggest, tkearns, that of the 15 of 18 “benchmarks” even that esteemed news organization “Fox” relays (I use that word to make a contrast with the word “reports” for there is a considerable difference between straight reportage and serving as a “house organ”) that the White House reports “satisfactory” progress on 15 of the 18.

The benchmarks were established by the Congress; and, in August 2007, the GAO reported that Iraq had met but 3 of those benchmarks.

I would suggest that it is the GAO and not the White House which should, on behalf of the Congress, make the determination as to whether the benchmarks have been appropriately met.

At this moment all we know is what the White House has reported.

From recent past experience there seems to be room to doubt the accuracy of such pronouncements.

Posted by: tkearns on Jul 27, 08 | 8:23 pm

I would note that we were taken into Iraq based on intelligence touted by the White House as being factual.

If the Bush Administration knew with certainty that Saddam had "weapons of mass destruction" (which if they had had would have been held very close—highly classified—indeed by Iraq), how could they not have known the conditions on the ground?

While the most experienced and senior military officers planned for each and every imaginable contingency when they were ordered to prepare to invade Iraq, their advice was ignored by Rumsfeld and his crowd.

It was not because the conditions on the ground were not known that things turned out to be different and we were not necessarily prepared for the aftermath of the invasion; it was because Rumsfeld, Feith, Yoo, Wolfowitz and others—the civilian leadership in the Pentagon—screwed up.

ALBERT M. FORGET

But winter, that's just the point, very little blood and very few lives are being 'contributed' any more, the violence is all but gone. Almost down to 'training' levels, certainly not anything like wartime levels at all.

Paul, a great many of us, including John McCain were extremely critical of the way the war was conducted for years. Blunder after blunder, but then you could say the same of WWII -- or for that matter ANY war. The fact is, we have now got it right and Iraqis have the rare chance at freedom, pluralism and tolerance -- instead of the oppression murder and thuggery of the Saddam administration. This is truly a radical departure for an Islamic country in the Mid East. Lets stop playing petty politics and hope it takes and spreads!!!

al, "I Can't believe you mean it" referred to divorces and the refusal to believe it's over...a metaphor as to our occupation of Iraq.r
rich, the violence may be "down" but 8 or bunches at a time is not palatable IMHO. Expendable without subsequnt consequence is not an option...training levels, balderdash..I gave basic training an didn't kill anyone...that came later when I went to SE Asia.

Al, I agree with you on the dubious reasons we had for invading Iraq. There is little you could add to the things that I’ve said about this administration in the past eight years.

Having said that, stop beating a dead horse.

Dubya has less than six more months to serve.

Impeaching him is no longer an option, to do so would be an exercise in futility. Censuring him would be an empty gesture as they would ignore it as they have all the other slings and arrows directed at them.

To keep belaboring the points is an waste of time and counter productive to moving on.

George Walker Bush is a lame duck. He is about a potent as a eunuch in a harem. Let it go and start concentrating on the future.

winter, you are kidding right? They must have sanitized basic. The Summer I went through basic in Ft. Leonard Wood, at least a dozen guys were killed just in my cycle. Two died of heat prostration in the company right next to mine (and the Company Commander and a couple of Sergeants were courtmartialed) Then two 2nd lieutenants died when an L-19 hit a tree right above my head ( I told you about that one). Four guys died when a deuce and a half rolled, one guy was killed and two severely injured when some bleachers collapsed at the grenade range, etc. etc. etc!!

Winter, why do you have so much trouble facing the fact that we are winning in Iraq?? What gives??

AL: For a Navy guy you seen to be an expert in land warfare. I do not remember that as one of your expertise please tell me again where you gained the knowledge that it was just the civilian DOD leadership that screwed it up. You are listening to the bitter retired generals that have political ambitions. Wes Clark for one.

rich, I gave basic in Fort Lewis WA 66-68 and we lost none...possibly a regional thing where you were at or the folks just didn't give a damn....What's with this winning in Iraq ? I have no problem with that...remember Pres Bush stated 4 years ago if a government was established and we were asked to leave we would...are we having a senior moment here ?
I stated quite a while back about the ambivalent attitudes in the ME which have been that way for centuries and will not change to even vaguly resembling our way of doing things, but I guess living there, doing business with them and avoiding getting blown up on the humbug for 18 months is just a pipe dream...n'est pas ?

BTW. when I took basic at Ft Benning Georgia 59-60, the only truck I saw was on the top of a flag pole and officers were only seen at ceremonies or for non-judicial punishment...same thing at Ft Lewis.

tk, Now I'm confused about your DOD question...does MacNamara or Rumsfeld ring a bell ? I hope so. Westmoreland, also gave me a warm fuzzy.

Paul, the entire leadership of the Democrat Party stated that we had lost the war in Iraq and should surrener. Sen. Harry "Hand Me The Cash" Reid (D-Nev) was chief among them.

More proof that liberalism is indeed a mental disorder.

Now that Sen. B. Hussein Osama Obama (D-Kenya) has spent a few days in Europe and a few days in the Middle East, the drive by media can and will declare him an expert of foreign policy. One more sham in an election full of them.

TK, Paul is not even a real editor. He proofreads bumper stickers for some little company that caters to Democrats and environmentalist whackos.

Liberals do not want Iraq's attempt to establish a demcratic republic to succeed. Such success would prove the superiority of the American system. They cannot abide that. They contend that America is no different than any other country. They are, of course, wrong. As usual.

A candidate for office, be they conservative or Republican or Democrat, should always support or oppose initiatives because they are right. Not because a certain thing is popular or not popular. It is absolute folly to waste one thin dime of taxpayer money on anything to do with solar power or wind mills. Any so-called conservative who supports such idiocy is just as wrong as a liberal who supports it.

Well, last time I checked, there are no 'honor killings' in Philly, there are no blood/power hungry insurgents, no radical clerics preaching murder & mayhem, nor any roadside bombs or suicide bombers attacking markets full of women & children - so to try & compare what would be "normal" in US city with what SHOULD not be, but what IS "normal" in Iraqi city, is like comparing a cat to a giraffe (both are animals, with fur & 4 legs, but very different creatures indeed)

When you are talking about a country that murders & maims as part of their honor system, retaliation and misguided religious domination - no, 8 deaths are certainly not considered a "bloodbath"; that is just a FACT.

as a matter of fact; it would be faster to name the countries around the world where 8 killed in the streets WOULD be considered a bloodbath!

I also have to disagree with the comments being made about George Walker Bush; he has been an extremely effective President. We have not been attacked here since 9/11, many of the high value terrorists have been captured or killed, Lybia gave up their weapons, there is tentative peace hanging in the air in Iraq, just waiting for the Iraqi wind to carry it through the region.

George has made many mistakes, but tell me one President that hasn't. Doing the right thing is rarely popular. Our approach to Iraq in HIND SIGHT was flawed, but if we achieve the results, then it will not be in vain. Name me one single war that has been popular.

George Bush has tried to be a good President and I believe he has been and furthermore, I believe that history will remember him that way as well. Just one woman's opinion.

Now that Mr Obama's private prayer at the Wailing Wall has been made public, it might be interesting to know that he made no reference to Allah.

Montego what a foolish neanderthal statement! You will search in vain in Colorado for a conservative who does NOT support wind power. it already supplies a small but significant portion of our power here and it is growing rapidly.

Wind power will not solve our energy problem, but like drilling, nuclear, fuel cells and conservation it's part of the mix that will.

Bob Schaffer is as conservative a U.S. Senate candidate as you are likely to find. Check it out:

http://www.bobschafferforsenate.com/index.php?c=issues.open&id=19&p=

"Now that Sen. B. Hussein Osama Obama (D-Kenya) has spent a few days in Europe and a few days in the Middle East, the drive by media can and will declare him an expert of foreign policy. One more sham in an election full of them. "

You got that one exactly right Montego!!

All, let me clarify my bloodbath statement, I was referring to the recent killing of 8 American soldiers in one incident...of course there are many more, but I consider, unlike our ME "friends" bunches of my fellow citizens wiped out is such a manner to be a bloodbath, similar to the many nutjobs out here in Colorado killing teachers and kids in schools and churches.

Winter, may I humbly suggest everyone refrain from loaded words, inflammatory usage that while good for making a point does nothing for improving discourse?

A "blood bath" is usually reserved for multiple killings, of a most horrifically brutal nature...like the multiple beheadings in the middle east, the genocide (both Christian and Muslim based) in Serbia, etc.

How many troops do we still maintain in the Central Europe area? Is anyone clamoring, demanding we bring them home? By what "right" did we send troops there? Was Sadam's genocide of any lesser degree?

Posted by: richstacy on Jul 28, 08 | 1:09 pm

Nuclear... (and drilling) is the answer. The rest is a bunch of feel -good crap that currently amounts to nothing. If you want to blow your $ on that crap go ahead... leave the taxpayers out of it.

Posted by: richstacy on Jul 27, 08 | 9:59 pm

Paul (and the rest of the Democrats)cannot face success in Iraq. These liberal cowards hate Bush so much they would rather lose and have Americans continue to die in Iraq and elsewhere than to win. They would rather face another 9-11 than face the proof Bush has been executing 100% at keeping the homeland safe. No deaths on American soil by IslamoFacists.

Posted by: paul on Jul 27, 08 | 8:26 pm

Editor... no... more like plagiarist.

We didn't forget Paul.

Unpoor:

The answer is all of the above. :p

Oil, shale production, wind, coal, natural gas, solar, nuclear, thermal increasing their use, as well as billions poured into fuel cell and like technology.

These are areas where the government should be involved, as they are of vital national interest, and above that, vital to our survival.

The government choosing what Doctor we go to, or where our kids go to school, is not.

Just my opinion, I could be wrong..... ;-)

Ridgeline, if you don't even have the confidence to think that you know what you're talking about, you've got a problem.

Spare us your views if you don't even agree with yourself.

No, unpoor, not a plagiarist.

And you know very well that I am not one.

Your calling me so is what is known as "a big lie".

Made, no doubt, because I found fault (and still do) with the postings of your fellow travelers of unattributed lines from right wing pundits__e.g. red-in-blue-county posting snippets from Ann Coulter columns as if they were his own.

Posted by: FreedomWarrior on Jul 25, 08 | 11:38 pm


I get a little tired of people playing the race card. It's even worse when conservatives start doing it to each other.

Liberals are quick to yell "racist" at any conservative that does not go along with the liberal agenda on affirmative action, welfare, unlawful immigration, and a bunch of other issues. They are also quick to throw out that label when someone attacks Jesse Jackson or Obama or any other black person who appoints himself to speak for the rest of us. When a conservative points the ugly finger at a fellow conservative, that gives credence to the liberal criticism.

Not that there is any excuse for actual racism. I am as outraged by true examples of it as anyone. But we don't need to indict our own just to make ourselves feel good.

As a conservative black guy, I have been called a racist on other blogs before the other bloggers learn my ethnicity.

I admit that I have not spent nearly as much time on this blog as some of you have, however, I have yet to see any posting that I would consider actual racism. Freedom Warrior, if you have something specific in mind, I'd be interested in what it was.

So far as I can tell, the guys you pointed the finger at are outspoken conservatives who don't appear to have much use for McCain. Yes, I think some of their comments are abrasive but if there is bona fide racism there, I have yet to see it in print.

Ridge, It is apparent we are going to disagree from time to time and I stand by my terminolgy of bloodbath, be selective if you may about interpretation , but bloodbath is not selective in it's usage, regardless of how many insensitive persons of whatever nation, race or other persuasion prefer to view it. You have your opinion as I do mine and having been the purveyor of death to hundreds and sometime thousands at a sitting, I do personally know the difference.

Winter: So do I....so do I. I am a United States Marine, sir.

My suggestion was aimed at everyone, because once we degenerate into buzz words and generalized opinions presented as fact, discussion is next to impossible, because it all bogs down into parsing of meanings, etc.

Rockfish: Well stated! Racism is yet another buzz word, usually thrown out to obfuscate and divert the discussion or save someone from answering the original question. Just ask Dr. Cosby. ;-)

tkearns,

Posted by: tkearns on Jul 28, 08 | 1:25 am

I have never claimed to be an expert on the subject of land warfare; and I will not question the knowledge of such things that you might have as I would suspect that you participated in war planning from the very moment you put on your uniform until the day you retired.

I would suspect, though I cannot remember you having mentioned it, that you are a graduate of the War College, and that much of your time was spent in the areas of planning and operations.

If I am remiss in thinking of those things as part of your background, please let me know for I would like to know further what weight I should give to your remarks in connection with such things.

As an enlisted sailor (unable to obtain a commission because of bad eyesight) I determined that I would learn everything I could about my profession.

I was fortunate enough to work with some very fine officers along the line. Those officers placed responsibilities on me such that I learned many things that other enlisted naval personnel never had the chance to know.

In my first assignment after boot camp I had the unfortunate experience of working under the aegis of a less than fine chief petty officer—a man who was counting the days until he could transfer to the fleet reserve and who seemed entirely disinterested in the welfare of those assigned to him.

Fortunately I was selected (from among the 18 personnel put in contention for the job) to be the driver for a vice admiral who served as President of the General Court-Martial, TWELFTH Naval District.

For that job I had to have a secret clearance. My immediate superior in that job was a lieutenant commander—a highly-decorated naval aviator who was also a graduate of Harvard Law School and was at the time serving as the Law Officer of the Court.

Within a short time he had me doing legal research (what is known as reading the law) to assist him and the senior trial and defense counsels in preparing for courts-martial and/or appeals. That job entailed getting to know the UCMJ very well and interminable hours of poring through Courts-Martial Reports (the case law under “The Articles for the Government of the Navy”, “The Articles of War”, and the UCMJ to find citators for use in conducting courts-martial.

I was also responsible for highlighting for the admiral the daily intelligence briefs which all flag officers received in those days.

In anticipation of the admiral’s retirement, I was issued orders to serve in a destroyer-squadron staff. As I was intent on learning my profession and specialties as fully as I could and thought a staff assignment might not help me achieve that goal, I (for the only time in a career that extended to 30 years) asked that a “swap” be made permitting somebody else to serve on the staff—a “plusher” assignment—and for me to serve in a general detail billet in a tin can.

Enroute to that sea duty assignment, I attended a 3-day damage control course which training enabled me (20 years later) to replace an officer as damage-control assistant when he was not up to (capable of) doing the job.

When I reported to the USS COWELL (DD-547), I was a petty officer third class (an E-4) but (as it turned out) was the senior person in the field and stepped into a chief petty-officer (E-7) billet.

Two weeks later the authorization for me to be promoted to petty officer second class was received and that promotion was backdated. It seems that I had aced all portions of the service-wide performance/knowledge tests which (of course) had resulted in an investigation to rule out any possibility of the exams having been compromised by me.

I joined the U. S. Navy on 19 June 1952 and was promoted to petty officer first class 3 years, 8 months and 27 days after enlisting. I was first on the list of the 12 personnel in the field (out of over 1,500 participants) for that promotion.

By that time I had taken and aced not only the enlisted correspondence courses required for promotion but around a dozen officer correspondence courses including all of those which were then required for an officer to be considered for promotion to lieutenant commander (major in the other armed forces).

After completing 3 years of sea duty, I found myself under orders to the CNAVANTRA Staff—the Staff of the Chief of Naval Air Advanced Training—where I was assigned to the plans and operations department.

As the only enlisted person assigned to the staff who had the requisite skills (and the top-secret clearance necessary) to assist in the preparation, security control and distribution of war and logistics capability support plans, I was pressed into service in doing just that.

As the civilian employees of the printing plant were did not have the appropriate clearances, I even had to learn how to make off-set printing plates and to run the presses. At the time I was 23.

When CNAVANTRA was reorganized, I moved from plans and operations to operations and training—though on special projects I continued to render assistance when called upon—and in that job assisted in the preparation of the flight syllabuses used in training pilots as jet jockeys. It was also during that period that I went through my first flight physical and ejector seat training and got my “Ohmyass” card so that I could fly backseat from Corpus Christi to various places. The first of such trips was to Anacostia where (with the admiral who piloted the F11-F) I attended a number of high-level meetings.

As my response to you is quite extensive, I will post what I have written at this point and will continue in another posting in a moment or so.

ALBERT M. FORGET

tkearns,

My next tour was in Oceanographic Detachment 3 (embarked in USNS MICHAELSON (TAGS-23) which was engaged in the then highly classified task of mapping the ocean floors that our ballistic missile submarines could triangulate their positions without surfacing. As part of my duties I served as part of the cryptographic board and (of course) could not help but learn considerably more about things than did other enlisted personnel

It was then on to SERE at Warner Springs in southern California before going to Vietnam to serve in the Navy Section MAAG. It was because of my background and clearances that I became responsible for classified materials control.

In the Navy it is required that all commands review their files on an annual basis. Paperwork more than 3 years old which is not needed to be retained locally is to be appropriately archived; and, each command is also required to keep a “historical” file of material of such on-going import locally that it must be available.

The classified files for which I was made responsible ranged from “For Official Use Only” through “Top Secret” and some of it was even compartmentalized. Those files had not been “purged” in 14 years and it took me about a month of day and night work to get through it all. But the knowledge I garnered about what was in those files and the history of the U. S. involvement proved to be of great benefit to Captain Hardcastle (the CO of NAVSEC MAAG) and to his successor (Rear Admiral Norvell G. Ward) when the command became Naval Forces Vietnam and he asked me to serve on his personal staff.

One day I was called before the commander who was in charge of Plans and Operations and berated because an enclosure to a particular “Confidential” report had not been received by one of the “Copy to” addressees. The Commander was well on his way to chewing me out a new one—so far along that a lieutenant commander (the only other person in the room) rose to his feet thinking that he would physically have to intercede.

I faced down the commander, proved to him that I had done exactly what I was supposed to do according to the Security Manual and (after receiving his apologies) went on to teach his staff the right way to do things.

Within a few days that commander asked that I work directly with him. That job entailed coordination with the MAAG organizations of the other armed forces.

I asked for and received permission to go into the field so that I might be the better aware of the day to day efforts involved in the advisory mission. While such trips were of but short duration, they were valuable (at least to me) in many respects. I did not have to make such trips but believed doing so would help me understand the big picture the better.

When the Military Assistance Advisory Group Vietnam became the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV), coordination with other elements became the more important and through that involvement I did learn a little something more about how the Marine Corps and the Army operate.

With the Vung Ro Bay incident, it became evident that it was not only via the Ho Chi Minh Trail that supplies, equipment and personnel were being infiltrated into South Vietnam but that such activities were also being carried out by sea.

Because of the knowledge and experience I had as a result of my earlier assignments, I was called on to directly help with developing the plans for expanding Cam Ranh Bay and what later became known as “Market Time”.

Along the way I continued to take officer correspondence courses and ended up taking some 27 of them in all.

When I left Nam I was ordered to attend the Naval Justice School and ended up being the honor graduate and received every award that school gives. At my new command I was in charge (working under a JAG lieutenant commander) of the Legal Office.

I asked to terminate my assignment there after 18 months so that I could go back to sea and (hopefully) contribute to our efforts in Vietnam. I do not know if anything I did during the following 3 years helped in that regard but I spent many an hour passing 77-pound RAP (rocket-assisted projectiles) to a gun mount so that we could provide gunfire support to Army and Marine Corps units in-country.

As well, various commands ordered me to various courses (management by objectives, drug abuse education specialist and a number of others) in which both officers and senior enlisted personnel are given training to better be able to do their jobs.

When possible, when off duty, I took as many college courses as I could fit in.

11 admirals (2 3-stars and 9 2-stars) called on me to serve as part of their personal staffs and in each of those jobs I was required to brief materials for them.

From the age of 19 on, tkearns, I was responsible for what is referred to as completed staff work. You recognize, I believe, that such work is ordinarily entrusted to middle and upper-middle grade officers because it is only such officers who are considered to have the necessary background experience to do such things.

From the age of 20 on I was always either the senior person in the command in my field and/or was assigned to positions in which I had to exert what you and I know as positional authority—the authority which devolves on a person because of the assignment in which they serve. For almost 5 years I was the command master chief petty officer (and the most senior enlisted person in all of the armed forces) in the tri-state area encompassed by New York, Connecticut and most of New Jersey and the 310 navy and naval reserve commands/activities in that region.

I am not an expert, tkearns, in war planning as it pertains to the Army.

I am however probably better versed in how the Navy goes about doing that job (and how naval operations integrate into the total picture) than are the great majority of enlisted personnel and many officers.

I was never put in a position where I had to confront an enemy on the ground or to fly a helicopter in support of forces below. Navy personnel seldom have such contact and figures from the Vietnam War (1964-1979) demonstrate that fact quite well. Some 4,368,000 Army personnel served in Vietnam and 30,963 of them were killed in battle. 1,842,000 participated and suffered 1,631 battle deaths.

In any war “support” personnel outnumber combat forces though that number has been reduced by the “civilianization” of so many billets.

At present there are thousands of naval personnel serving in IA (Individual Augmentee) billets alongside our soldiers and marines.

“Jointness” is now the name of the game and there may come a day when there will be no difference at all between the missions the land and the naval forces are called on to perform. When that day comes maybe all discussions of who contributed more will end.

On that day, as well, any contentions as to who served more honorably will also cease. Until that time I will continue to honor all those who serve whether their service was in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard or Air Force and be they officer or enlisted. As well we should honor the service of those who served in “support” rolls such as our Merchant Mariners.

I would have a harder time, though, according like consideration to those I look on as mercenaries—Blackwater comes to mind.

I consider myself very fortunate, indeed, that I never had to serve in the bowels of the Pentagon—in fact, I was able to avoid duty in Washington, DC, throughout most of my time in uniform.

During the 18 months I did serve there, I learned first-hand why the epithet “Puzzle Palace” is appropriate when making reference to the Pentagon and the DOD. In my off-duty time while in DC I took classes at the University of Maryland at College Park and (under the aegis of that school) in the nether reaches of the Pentagon where I took economics courses.

Incidentally, tkearns, I would be loath to listen to the advice of a second lieutenant (or even many colonels) over that of a general; and I cannot help but think you might feel the same.

There are good reasons after all why officers are nominated, vetted (and approved by the Senate) to serve in flag-officer billets. Among those reasons are proven leadership and demonstrated knowledge.

When I made reference to the planning (or lack thereof) in connection with the invasion of Iraq and the advice of the generals having been ignored, I did not have General Wesley K. Clark in mind. I knew, and you will remember of course, that General Clark was retired on May 2, 2000, (well before George W. Bush came to occupy the White House) and had nothing at all to do with developing the contingency operations plans for Iraq.

As I recall it, Wes Clark was replaced (as SACEUR) by General Joseph Ralston USAF).

General Ralston had screwed up his chances of becoming Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff after it was revealed that he had had an adulterous affair. Recent events have demonstrated that if such a thing was to happen today even senior flag officers are demoted and asked to leave.

In my opinion, General Ralston was given preferential treatment and should not have been continued on active duty.

ALBERT M. FORGET

shutterhunter,

Posted by: shutterhunter on Jul 27, 08 | 10:23 pm

Thanks for your remarks. I agree with much of what you offered in them.

In his posting of Jul 27, 08 | 8:12 pm tkearns posited that “the government (of Iraq) has formed faster than ours did many years ago”

I but pointed out that there were differences in how our government (our Constitutional democracy within a republic) came to be and how the still incipient government of Iraq was formed.

In his posting of Jul 27, 08 | 8:23 pm tkearns remarked “. . . you go into battle not knowing what the conditions will be when you get there and since we had no intelligence or little on the interior of Iraq conditions turned out to be different.”

If only the actual conditions that were known were provided for (as the senior military leadership recommended)—and whether or not there was a valid reason to invade Iraq aside—the Pentagon civilian leadership decided on “Shock and Awe” and seemingly made no provisions for the occupation necessary to “stabilize” the country let alone any exit plan.

Given that two-thirds majority of the members of both houses is required to bring impeachment charges and successfully prosecute them, I have from the beginning of calls to impeach George W. Bush been against doing so.

I have never doubted that sufficient proof existed to do so; but, recognizing that there is so much partisanship in both bodies of the congress, believed the necessary majorities could not be garnered.

In part (in my consideration) that partisanship exists as a result of the failed impeachment of William Jefferson Clinton.

I have no doubt that if a sufficient number of the members of Congress were of like mind with Chuck Hagel—he during an interview this past week noted that he has and continue to place his country above his party—that impeachment of both Vice President Dick Cheney and, then, that of President George W. Bush would have proceeded apace.

As to “moving on” I would agree with you; but the same “partisanship” I noted earlier seems to get in the way.

George W. Bush is a lame duck but there are many members in both bodies—a sufficient number in each—that most things of which the present administration disagrees cannot be brought forward.

I hope your gentle admonitions will be considered by others as well for, if they are to broach the subject I will offer whatever “factual” evidence there exists to counter the arguments which might be presented.

Again, shutterhunter, thanks for your remarks.

ALBERT M. FORGET

FreedomWarrior,

I would disagree with those of your remarks which seem to indicate (or imply) that one life might be more valuable than is another.

The fact that a life may be taken by terrorists elsewhere in the world in what is described as a bloodbath, or in “honor killings”, or in a drive-by gang killing here in the United States does not at all militate against the value of each and every one of those lives.

I was raised a Christian and I believe we are all equal in the sight of the Creator as “man and woman created He them each in His own image”.

If I misunderstood what you intended to say, please let me know how and accept in advance my apologies.

If I did not misunderstand, I am at a loss as to how and why it might be appropriate to not value each and every life including those of our perceived enemies.

ALBERT M. FORGET

afroggy:

In a theological state, perhaps one life is always equal to another. However most governments are not theology-based.

If our "enemy" is Radical Islam, then of course their lives intrinsically have a lesser value to most of the world, as their interpretation of their faith leads them to believe it is right and just to kill anyone who is not Muslim. To kill in the name of God.

Now, someone who lives their life centered on Christian theology can make the argument that ANY taking of life is not justified, it is wrong to impose those beliefs upon a non-sectarian government.

Ridge, Thank you for your service (and a bit of humor...I am not a sir, though I know Marines addres their NCOs as such :-) )
Rockfish, I am also a conservative Black Republican, but prefer to be called an American...period... and it is apparent we have different views on inflammatory language...so be it, but I like FW, call them like I see them.

FW: what the heck are you talking about? Racists? That had to be about the third dumbest thing written here.

Dipping in the kool- aid too?

Posted by: paul on Jul 28, 08 | 3:42 pm

I don't know red in blue but you did steal something from someone last year. Who was that now? Amby? Who was the one that busted you quote for quote?

Mtman, I believe?

Yesteray, JOHN McCain announced that "HE backs Arizona's Plan to BAN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION in Government!! The matter will be placed on the November ballot in Arizona, after the required number of signatures were obtained...Independents like this idea very much....and so do I!!!!

http://www.elections.foxnews.com
link

Ridge, just as it is wrong for them to impose their beliefs and punishments on us...
Unpoor, you get it and stiil feign ignorance...what a shame....

"The Global Poverty Act of 2007 (S.2433) is coming up for a Senate vote... according the office of Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison. Once Harry Reid and the Democrat leadership put it on the calendar, we could have as little as a week to prepare for the vote." - Lee Cary, The American Thinker


If Cary is right, Senator Hussein Obama's only major legislative accomplishment as a United States Senator -- which according to some conservative leaders is potentially an $845 billion United Nations give away of your hard-earned tax dollars -- could be coming up for a stealth vote any day now!

Is it really possible that our federal legislators are planning to pass Hussein Obama's Global Poverty Act while they think we aren't looking?

Ridge, you are 100% correct in your energy assessment IMHO. Pay no heed to unpoor and windy, you will find that they are both fountains of negativity who thrive on emotion and seldom have opinions with any basis in fact. Both are good at insults but not much else. There was no excuse for windy's silly personal attack on you.

Of course if we are ever to achieve independence from Arab oil we will have to explore ALL viable energy technologies. To determine which are viable, follow the money. There is plenty of private money flowing into wind generation. Do you think maybe it's possible that venture capitalists know more about its potential than unpoor and windy? I think so. It will never supply more than a relatively small percentage of our energy needs, but that may be exactly the percentage we need to finally grant us our energy freedom from foreign oil.

BTW, welcome aboard! It's great to have another rational voice here!!

Unpoor, remember it is only money, and in comparison to the Government's utter waste of it, rather small.....:p

What incentive does Congress have to suddenly stop throwing good money after bad where the United Nations is concerned?

Unpoor, as you know, I'm all for development of nuclear energy and for drilling. But why don't we follow Reagan's example and let the market determine what is "a bunch of feel-good crap that amounts to nothing." It is really not for you (or me) to say.

Just for clarification Winter, Omaha beach was a "bloodbath." Eight guys getting killed in the most casualty free conflict in our nation's history is very regrettable, but it's hardly the same thing. Don't you agree? Why the reluctance to admit that the casualties in Iraq are way, way down compare to even six months ago?

Al, thanks for once again (I believe for about the tenth time) giving us your illustrious history.

Re impeachment: I think your irrational hatred of Bush and Cheney somewhat clouds your thinking.

For example Al, I don't think you are able at all to see that:

a. We are now winning in Iraq. or,

b. That there are immense benefits that flow to the Iraqi people and to our own national security and to security in the region as a result of that. (Provided that we don't prematurely cut and run.)

In short Al, though I have frequently disagreed with him, I do agree with FW's comments that George W. Bush has been a pretty darn effective president. He has indeed prevented another horrendous attack on the U.S. (and yes Winter 9/11 WAS a bloodbath) and if we ride our winning hand out in Iraq, he may well be remembered by history as the man who turned the tide agaisnt radical Islam and who gave freedom and tolerance a chance in the islamic world!

Wintersoldier; I completely share your feeling that I would rather be called an American above all else....stand beside her....and guide her.....with the light and the might from above.

I thank you for your service and I respect that tremendously. I envy those who did serve because I was rejected for physical ailments sustained due to an accident when I was 17.

rich, volume of death does not lessen the fact, but I gather we can beat it to death as the Holcaust was a bloodbath and exceeded the deaths at Omaha...it is all relative and death is death, in our backyards or in someone else's. The casualities fluctuate and low stats are nice for the "puzzle palace" and folks that don't smell dead bodies or are not personally involved.
Rockfish, Thank you and I believe your heart is in the right place as most of ours are....the struggling for communication and understanding is what I believe this mostly civilized blog is about.

Richstacy,

Thanks, completely missed those negative posts. How often some fall back on hate and attacks whenever they come across something they don't agree with!

As for energy, one cannot always let the market decide, as it is usually rather short-term driven, and energy exploration or government energy policies are long-term affairs. In fact it was Ronald Reagan, 20 years ago, who advocated more nuclear and shale production, simply because his degree was in economics, and he knew what shipping all those dollars overseas would eventually mean to our economy.

Posted by: Ridgeliner on Jul 28, 08 | 4:28 pm

Maybe you can tell at a glance which person who practices Islam is or is not "radical".

I would suggest that that is not possible.

As for me I find even the suggestion that one life is intrinsically of lesser value than is another entirely despicable.

This past Friday I paid my respects to the mother of 4 sons the youngest of whom is slated to return to Iraq for his second tour in but a few weeks.

He is an officer in the National Guard and mentioned (to another person paying respects to his mother) during a conversation with him in which it was suggested “we should kill all of them" that the person he would least like to have serving with him is that man who was bent on killing.

I am a Christian (a Roman Catholic Gentleman—a Knight of Columbus if you will) and do my best to live my life in accordance with the Commandments and the exhortations of His Son.

Among those Commandments is one that says "Thou Shalt Not Kill".

Theologians will tell you that there is an exception made for those who in armed conflict have no other alternative if they are to save their own life or the lives of their comrades.

But, Ridgeliner, they will also tell you that even in war wanton killing is not condoned.

I find equally abhorrent the person (good Christian that he might look on himself as) who would stalk and kill a doctor who performed a legal abortion and the suicide bomber. I look on the actions of both such as acts of terrorism as such actions are intended to strike fear in the hearts of others.

There have been many fine men who have served us as President of these here United States of America and not a few lesser ones. One of them in particular admonished us in a way that we should not (in my opinion) forget. I try to never leave home without a coin bearing his image in my pocket and each time I hold such a coin I try to reflect for an instant on the admonition he—Abraham Lincoln—left us with at the end of his second inaugural address. I offer them here for consideration:

“With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.”

It is my hope we may all abide by those suggestions.

I took the time to look at your resume and visited the home page for your blog. There I could not help but remark on the photograph and immediately recognized it as being a view of Lake Tahoe.

I grew up in Reno and Sparks Nevada and every summer following World War II, my Father would take a sabbatical from his job as Chef at the Roosevelt Hotel in Reno and take employment at the Stateline Country Club. As a boy scout and as an explorer scout I also used to camp on the shores of the lake.

That, of course, was in the late 1940’s and the early 1950’s and as idyllic as the area may even now seem, it was but sparsely populated then and we could even go skinny dipping.

Lest it deteriorate further I would offer counsel that all residents of the area strive to reduce their footprint and work to reverse the ravages of pollution inflicted on the lake.

ALBERT M. FORGET

afroggy:

The Commandment is: "Tho shalt not commit murder", not kill. God, in his all-knowing wisdom, differentiated between the two.

Murder is: "to kill or slaughter inhumanly or barbarously".

13 "You shall not murder." http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=2&chapter=20&version=31&context=chapter

Lake Tahoe is still a jewel, and still pretty pristine, just a few miles from the lake's edge. I live @ Incline Village, pretty far up the mountain, and would never trade it for living anywhere else. Thanks for the recollections!

richstacy,

Posted by: richstacy on Jul 28, 08 | 5:51 pm

Have you not taken note of the many times I advised against impeachment?

I do believe there are grounds far more than sufficient on which impeachment could be prosecuted; but, having watched the proceedings against Richard Nixon so many years ago and those against President Clinton (on charges which though serious were based primarily on the fact that he had lied under oath in connection with having had oral ministrations performed on his member—talking around what happened—I am of the opinion such proceedings should not be undertaken cavalierly.

If those who suggested impeachment shortly after the invasion of Iraq had not been so caught up in their hatred—and, yes, there was much of that emotion rampant—they might not have cast their votes for fringe candidates and (I would conjecture) George Bush might not have been reelected.

He was and, unfortunately, there are still those who because of their anti-war passions may very well once again cut off their noses to spite their faces in the forthcoming general election.

Incidentally, richstacy, I was but responding to what tkearns had written in the posting by him that I cited.

I honor the service of tkearns and would never question his professionalism while in uniform. I have not, however, had any indication from him (or for that matter from John McCain) which would assure me that either of them was involved in developing strategic war plans or contingency operations plans.

As a happenstance—as part and parcel of things I was called on to do—I was along the line so involved. It even happened on a few occasions that suggestions I made were elaborated on and included.

I was not responsible for those plans but was involved.

The point I had tried to make was that if the plans offered to Rumsfeld by the most senior officers then on active duty had been followed, the "difficulties" encountered after the invasion—an invasion made completely ignoring the precepts of The Powell Doctrine—those difficulties might well have been handled apace.

As to the contention that George W. Bush has prevented another horrendous attack on the United States, I know of nothing which would suggest that is the case as the absence of something cannot prove the existence of something else.

The old adage (really old adage) Post hoc ergo propter hoc refers to fallacious reasoning and that is what I suggest is involved in suggestions that Mr. Bush has prevented further terrorist attacks.

That conclusion cannot be reached absent proof that such an attack was attempted. Similarly, since there is not proof that any such attack was attempted the lack of such an attack cannot be attributed to any specific action, set of actions or individual(s).

I would suggest that had specific actions taken by our government to prevent an actual attempted terrorist attack on our shores been successful, at least some of what had occurred would have been offered as proof that the actions taken (even if not specifically identified) had thwarted such an attack.

Even recognizing that the present administration is the most secretive in history, I cannot believe they would not toot their own horns—celebrate—over such a “success”.

As you (and others) seem to not be able to determine when (or even offer a definitive set of circumstances under which) it would not be premature to draw down our forces in Iraq—what you refer to as cut and run—I must conclude you would suggest remaining there interminably.

If that is not the case, what should be our exit strategy?

When, richstacy, will the ongoing costs of the war take so many tax dollars out of your pockets and mine that it would be appropriate to hand over the responsibilities of self-government, self-defense, and administering the rule of law to the Iraqis?

ALBERT M. FORGET

I recall that the Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon administrations were also named "the most secretive" in history as well....so the term is meaningless and just another of those throw-away phrases that is used just to inflame without any basis of fact.

And I also recall Senator Obama stating just two days ago that he couldn't actually state when all troops would be brought home in his administration, if elected, because one could not forsee what would be happening on the ground a year, or year-and-a-half from today. http://www.reuters.com/article/middleeastCrisis/idUSN26392694

I would ask you, afroggy, how long have our troops remained in Bosnia/Serbia, etc?

WOW!! That was a mouthful !!! I'm going to have to read that one slowly ....

Ridgeliner,

The admonition in every Bible I read growing up was “Thou Shalt Not Kill”. It was written that way in every “Gideon” Bible I looked at before falling asleep while traveling.

Even in the vulgate Latin version I read the understanding was that killing (of other human beings) was prohibited. Saint Augustine struggled with the subject and other theologians contorted themselves to justify killing for protection of the tribe—the community or nation.

I am aware that the Lutheran text uses the word “murder” but I am not Lutheran and will continue to use the word “kill”.

Of course the word “murder” connotes at least some intent to “kill” but I will continue to think on the prohibition as including the suggestion that I should take care to not (even unwittingly) take the life of another person.

I look on the expression “chaque un as son gout” as a very good idea as regards religion.

I am very familiar with the Incline Village area as we used to camp in that area.

ALBERT M. FORGET

Rockfish,

Posted by: Rockfish on Jul 28, 08 | 6:04 pm

I would agree with both you and wintersoldier.

As you called our attention to the lyrics of “America the Beautiful”, it might be of value for all of us to remember that further along in that poem/song we pray that God will men our flaws and confirm our souls in self-control and our liberty in law.

Even further along is the admonition that we should strive (under God) to insure that all our successes be noble and our gains devine.

My Mom and Dad told the that those words meant that we should all work against injustice, that we should labor to make America better for ourselves and those who will follow, and that we as a nation (among other nations) should be noble.

I hope they were not wrong. I do not believe they were.

ALBERT M. FORGET

Ridgeliner,

I would suggest that we will remain in the former Yugoslavia for as long as NATO considers it appropriate.

In my opinion comparisons cannot be made given that the circumstances are entirely different.

We have been in Germany since the end of World War II but are now on the course to withdraw virtually all of our troops from that nation within the next several years.

NATO will continue to provide protection for Europe but it is to be doubted the United States will be able to dictate where, when and in what circumstances NATO will deploy forces

It is probable that some troops will continue to be based in Japan--with many other of our forces forward-based in Guam--so as to be able to swiftly react to threats in the region.

For many years part of the justification for keeping our forces based in the nations against which we fought in World War II was to insure that they did not remilitarize.

It is now thought that such a potential is minimal at best. The Japanese, who have renounced war, are not trying to figure out how they will be able to defend themselves and insure that their military forces will not dominate the life of their country.

We continue to maintain large numbers of troops in South Korea. If and when North Korea is determined to not be so much of a threat--once a peace treaty is signed to replace the cease fire that has been in place lo these 50 years and more, those troops as well may be ordered stateside. As it now stands it is my understanding they are being relocated to new bases south of Soeul.

It has been reported in "Times" military publications that the withdrawal of troops is based in good measure by the fact greater and speedier transport capabilities now exists than in former times.

There will continue to be some troops based in other lands under status of forces agreements; but, even in the case of Japan, ever more emphasis is being placed on self defense rather than America being there.

unpoor,

You just believe?

You don't know!

Damned right you don't know!

You just believe whatever is comfortable to you.

You need no proof of anything.

Do you have any sense of honor?

Of integrity?

You certainly have none of wisdom!

Oh, unpoor, everything is just so fuzzy!

You've been quiet lately on Ed Kennedy and abortion and mormons and illegal immigrants.

And you've failed to mention the word "libtard" in most of your recent posts.

Totally out of character!

"Libtard"

Is the "lib" of that word "liberal" or "libertarian"?

You know, when I look at pictures of the Libertarian party's candidate for President, the Inquisitor, I can't help but think of some kind of "tard"!

"twit"

Why is the word "twit" going through my head?

"twit"

I haven't used that word since my daughter was eight years old, "Honore, please don't be such a twit."

And she hasn't been since!

Paul who was Honore named in honor of ?? Just curious.....

Monte: You are wrong about solar and wind power. If you study the grid you will find that it is a very fragile thing. The load is anything homogeneous and many time power has to be moved over long distances. The wind and solar alone with Hydro provide the ability to balance this demand. In addition they will provide many islands with power should a neutron raid effect the total network. Critical factories will be able to operate and things can be quite normal on these islands if the big war comes. What is the waste of money is the corn to oil deal which was a way to make rich farmers richer. and by the way keep the farm implement companies in business which is one of the only machine markets the US still has a good portion of the sales. Most others have been taken over by foreign countries. Notice the Volvo rock trucks vs the former Euclid truck made by GM.

unpoor: Coal to gas and oil is equally important. We gave up on the nuclear airplane engine a long time ago and air power must be maintained over any future battlefield. We would have not won any war without air power. I has a nut job Saturday tell me that helicopters were why we lost the VN war. He was surprised when i presented him the facts that congress lost the south of Vietnam to the communists.
You should catch on pretty soon that all energy sources have to be utilized to satisfy the energy needs of the world that are just starting to grow. 100 years from now we will be using a 100 times more power than we are now and fusion is where most of it will come.

Some 4,368,000 Army personnel served in Vietnam and 30,963 of them were killed in battle. 1,842,000 participated and suffered 1,631 battle deaths. al posted the above.

Al is that 4,368,000 Army personnel or is that the number of army tours that occurred? Many of us completed several tours and i think that is what that number represents.

Al asks, When, richstacy, will the ongoing costs of the war take so many tax dollars out of your pockets and mine that it would be appropriate to hand over the responsibilities of self-government, self-defense, and administering the rule of law to the Iraqis?

I suggest Al, that we all want to bring the troops home and turn the whole thing over to the Iraqis just as soon as humanly possible. And in fact we are turning those thing over to them rather rapidly right now.

Al says re the former Yugo vs Iraq, "In my opinion comparisons cannot be made given that the circumstances are entirely different."

Indeed they are Al. the main difference is that our National security is not really involved in Yugoslavia, but it damn sure is in the mid-East!

Still you refuse to acknowledge that we are succeeding in Iraq and you fail to see the overarching importance of establishing a beacon of hope, freedom and tolerance in the heart of the Islamic mid-East. Extreme short sightedness if you ask me.

Al: I never attended the war college. In order to get promoted i had to take the command and general staff school by correspondance since i was a reserve officer and not regular army. I also committed a sin by going to flight school as an engineer officer. That was the kiss of death for an engineer officer since the engineer branch needed every officer authorized to do their job and it was a waste to have an engineer a airplane driver. I was initally passed over to Lt Col. since i had not attended the Command and general staff school. My completing the course by correspondence while being the facility engineer and housing officer for a major base i was picked up and promoted to Lt. Col. Had i not been picked up i would have been RIFed with 17 years and 3 months and would not have been entitled to retirement pay. I had help from my two star that i was working for at the time or i would not have been able to complete the school due to a lack of course materials which he fixed. He also found that my personnef jacket that went to the board contained many item that should not have been their and some awards that i had been awarded that were not reflected. You see i trusted the system and did not do the checks that all regular officers are schooled to do in order to succeed. I was one of the guys that said if you do your job in an excellent manner you will succeed. It does not quite work that way. That is why at times i am cynical.

You learn as you go along. I was not street smart for most of my time in the service. As a second lt who should command a company i was assigned to a general staff as the G$ engineer officer in a majors slot. I received an Army commendation metal for my service in that position. I delt with the Mayors of major cities to select sites for army reserve centers and accepted the completed jobs for the army. I also have operated the paving machine and drove the trash truck to pick up garbage in germany when the germans would not work overtime. My E7 got to dump the trash into the truck while my wife was dealing with the General that was complaining that the trash was not picked up in the officers housing area. By the way this was is 1977 and the trash truck was a 1951 White that most of us worked on one time or another to keep runing. I had one and if it broke for a half day i was in trouble.

Ridge: It was during Reagan's term that the shale research folded up and all was abandoned. The western slope shale project closed its doors in 1983. I was on all the projects at DOE from 1977 to 1983 and of the 17 projects i was the construction team member only 3 were left when i left in 1983. Two of them were the breeder reactors that bit the dust by 87. The nuclear industry was breathing its last breath at that time also. The most activity on all energy projects occurred during the Carter years.

Al: I will hope the history books will reflect the job that this administration has accomplished in preventing another attack. It may also give the many attacks that were prevented. Some have been talked about and much has been printed on how 911 could have been prevented by previous administrations. You can pick your material and prove almost everything just as you can indict a ham sandwich.

You have no idea what has gone down and neither do i. However, i feel a whole lot safer than i did during the previous administration when our big stick was on the way out and am scared to death that Senator Obama wants to down size the military and establish a civilian homeland security force. That sounds like what Hitler did to me.

Just heard on the news last night that Hussein Obama dropped a visit to wounded troops in favor of going to the gym.

Hussein Obama is a creep.

Wow, I just tried to catch up with yesterday’s posts. One of the most vociferous days of late.

But as giving yourself a headache is never a good way to start the day I’ll just offer my welcome to Ridgeliner to the blog. We desperately need an infusion of new blood here and yours is most appreciated.

Moving on, one of the things that caught my eye in this mornings news is that students in Chicago are being urged to skip the first day of school in protest of the inequity of the inner city schools vs. the suburban schools.

What a brilliant way to advance education. Let’s tell the kids that it is okay to skip class for any reason. Yup, that’ll be a sure fire way to solve the problem. Why go to school at all? Why not drop out and really show them who’s boss?

Friggin’ idiots.

Last week on Fox Billy O. thanked his viewers for listening to him and conserving gas. Seems like this egomaniac is taking credit for the fall of gas consumption this summer just because he suggested as much on his program.

Earth to Bill, gas consumption is down because people can’t afford it. Most of those who are driving less probably never even seen your show. One more time, more people watch Sponge Bob than tune in to your show.

Get over yourself, Bill, before you start self medicating like one of your well know counterparts did.

Again last week, over on CNN Headline, Glenn Beck made a comment that 20% of the world’s undiscovered oil lay within the Arctic Circle.

Ummmm. If it is undiscovered how can we know that 20% of it is there? Doesn’t undiscovered mean that we don’t know it’s there yet and impossible to quantify?

I may just be nit picking here but come on, Glenn. I thought better of you.

My whole point to this little rant is that these are the people that we are listening to and that we allow to sway our opinions.

Never accept what is being foisted upon us by these microphoned morons without a critical eye. To do less is acting as a lemming and following the rest of the crowd over the cliff.

Shutter: Why is it that the leftists want us to switch to wind and solar power (two reasonable ideas not at all ready to be serious replacements for oil) because it'll be better "for the future", but won't let us drill for more oil because "we won't see results for 10 years" and are all about opening the oil reserves, which is nothing more than a band-aid for the problem?

Someone please explain this to me. How many times do I have to hear a democrat say "If it won't fix the problem tomorrow, it's not worth doing.", and then expect that to be an excuse to do absolutely nothing?

Your taxpayer dollars at work. We've been down this path already. It was called the Clinton Administration. Treating terrorists as criminals worked SO well then.

And as to the second study conclusion:

_Terrorist groups from upper-income countries are more likely to be left-wing or nationalist, and much less likely to be motivated by religion.

Thank you Mr. Obvious.......

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5ihmI ... gD9279KL00

Posted by: paul on Jul 28, 08 | 9:22 pm


loser

Hey Shutter: How much of the earths mass, or surface lies within the arctic circle? Maybe not 20% but we also have the technology to know where oil is most likely and where it is most likely not. However the best way to tell where it is not is where the congress has allowed drilling. Screw the technology.

If someone keels over in the voting booth, does it make a sound?

unpoor: You do not get it. For many uses there are not any replacements for oil. We have to use other sources to do things that oil is doing now but does not have to. Oil will have to run the internal combustion engine. Yes they can run on natural gas but that comes from oil. To a certain extent electrical energy can be used to provide transportation. But we must not create electrical energy from oil in the future except for emergency purposes. So that emergencies do not occur often we must have a very versitile electrical distribution system that gets it juice from an array of sources. The primary source will be Nuclear hopefully fusion in the future. Many secondary sources will exist. One that is not talked about and is the cheapest is hydro electric. Low head hydro has not been touched. Can you imagine the power we could get if we could have hydro electric on the Mississippi river that would harness the energy from all that water moving south every day. As far as i know no research is going on for that possibility. The biggest problem would be that it would slow river traffic but that river traffic uses oil.

In the seventies research was being done on harnessing the power of wave action. Wonder what happened to that?

A comment was made yesterday about why other sources have not been used. The reason is that in the 70's and early 80's when a lot of research was being done oil dropped to below 30 bucks a barrel. Most of the technologies were estimation to cost over 50 dollars a barrel to implement. Wonder thing about our economy is that resources are allocated to serve a purpose it wealth can be gained from that allocation. When wealth can not be gained from that allocation it is not made. When wealth is falsely made from an allocation sooner or later that wealth will be recaptured by failure of the enterprise. Look round at the failures. Bad investments. If you loan money to a entity that can not pay you will not gain wealth unless you get the money and run and the entity gets stuck.

That is a little fact that both candidates do not seem to understand about the economy. Thomas Sowell for president.

TK, I did not say that solar and wind do not have some limited utility. They do, but it is limited. At this point, neither is going to produce substantial amounts of power to run our economy. I just know that both have been talked about since the 70's as the next answer to our energy problems and here we are over 30 years later and neither contributes substantially to our aggregate power needs. In fact, I can remember claims being made in the late 70's that every house will soon have solar panels on the roof and will generate most of its own power. As I have said before, I am all for private money initiatives to develop any and all types of energy. Let the market work. Keep the government out of it.

Shutter, it's alot easier to catch on the previous days posts if you skip the long, idiotic rantings of the demented egomaniacs, if you know what I mean.

Unpoor, please stop picking on the plagiarist. He has so many other troubles on his hands, such trying avoid those nice tall men in the clean white coats that are coming to take him away. Hah hah.

Well, McVain has done it now. He apparently conceded last night that he would consider a troop withdrawal from Iraq in 16 months. Apparently, he does not want to disagree with his opponent on anything. Good grief.

Liberals have an exaggerated sense of their own importance. Mrs. Pelosi was recently ranting, "I am trying to save the planet." Algore chants the same mantra. Man does not have the power to either destroy or save the planet. We are not that powerful. It was here before us and it will remain when we are gone. Get over yourselves, people.

Coming to a neighborhood near you: police surveillance cameras. Leaving your neighborhood: your liberty. Flint, Michigan is the latest city to place its citizenry under 24 hour surveillance. DON'T YOU PEOPLE GET IT? DOES THIS NOT BOTHER ANYONE BUT ME?

Shutter, I have also heard that there is a great deal of oil under the artic circle. Perhaps "untapped" would be a better word than "undiscovered."

It starts in the UK and then comes here. One third of Muslim college students in the UK support murder in furtherance of their religion and approximately the same percentage said they supported a worldwide Islamic caliphate, or government, and more than half - 54 per cent - supported the idea of having their own political party at Westminster. What will it take for the west to grasp the threat that this religion of violence and conquest poses?

afroggy, you are wrong about the lyrics to which I referred yesterday. They have nothing to do with America The Beautiful, as you claimed. Don't liberal Democrats know our nation's patriotic music?

See below.

God Bless America
Words and music by Irving Berlin
© Copyright 1938, 1939 by Irving Berlin
© Copyright Renewed 1965, 1966 by Irving Berlin
© Copyright Assigned to the Trustees of the God Bless America Fund
International Copyright Secured. All Rights Reserved.
Used by Permission

"While the storm clouds gather far across the sea,
Let us swear allegiance to a land that's free,
Let us all be grateful for a land so fair,
As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer. "

God Bless America,
Land that I love.
Stand beside her, and guide her
Thru the night with a light from above.
From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans, white with foam
God bless America, My home sweet home.

More totalitarianism from the UK. It seems that the British government has built a DNA database of over 4 million, 25% of which are innocent citizens who have never been convicted of a crime. the government has now shared the DNA information with private companies without the consent of the citizens. Again, this stuff is like creeping charlie. It spreads. Our states and federal government are already interested in this. We need to stamp it out before it gets started in America.

Montego, I also read of this polling of the Islamic students in Britain. It sends chills up my spine because it rather disproves the notion that we hear from the media that only a small minority of Islamic followers support violence.

It all starts with the religion's leaders. They are fomenting violence. They are urging jihad. They are recruiting volunteers to be suicide bombers. They are sowing the seeds of hatred in the Islamic schools.

There are few voices in the wilderness from the major Islamic organizations reaching out and decrying radical action, therefore, nations are infected with ticks that infect and they find their arms too short to scratch.....I suggest that folks use these computers for some serious research into what we are up against, or really, what is against us....I have been doing so for years and IMHO, the virus is spreading slowly but surely.

The media is portraying Obama almost as if he were the president-elect or even acting president. They act like he has a big lead in the polls even though he does not. I certainly hope that the public sees through this nonsense.

Posted by: Rockfish on Jul 29, 08 | 9:44 am

“Most Communists don’t… what’s the big deal?”

The anointed one's pilgrimage to the Holy Land is a miracle in action - and a blessing to all his faithful followers


By Gerard Baker

And it came to pass, in the eighth year of the reign of the evil Bush the Younger (The Ignorant), when the whole land from the Arabian desert to the shores of the Great Lakes had been laid barren, that a Child appeared in the wilderness.

The Child was blessed in looks and intellect. Scion of a simple family, offspring of a miraculous union, grandson of a typical white person and an African peasant. And yea, as he grew, the Child walked in the path of righteousness, with only the occasional detour into the odd weed and a little blow.

When he was twelve years old, they found him in the temple in the City of Chicago, arguing the finer points of community organisation with the Prophet Jeremiah and the Elders. And the Elders were astonished at what they heard and said among themselves: “Verily, who is this Child that he opens our hearts and minds to the audacity of hope?”

In the great Battles of Caucus and Primary he smote the conniving Hillary, wife of the deposed King Bill the Priapic and their barbarian hordes of Working Class Whites.

And so it was, in the fullness of time, before the harvest month of the appointed year, the Child ventured forth - for the first time - to bring the light unto all the world.

He travelled fleet of foot and light of camel, with a small retinue that consisted only of his loyal disciples from the tribe of the Media. He ventured first to the land of the Hindu Kush, where the

Taleban had harboured the viper of al-Qaeda in their bosom, raining terror on all the world.

And the Child spake and the tribes of Nato immediately loosed the Caveats that had previously bound them. And in the great battle that ensued the forces of the light were triumphant. For as long as the Child stood with his arms raised aloft, the enemy suffered great blows and the threat of terror was no more.

From there he went forth to Mesopotamia where he was received by the great ruler al-Maliki, and al-Maliki spake unto him and blessed his Sixteen Month Troop Withdrawal Plan even as the imperial warrior Petraeus tried to destroy it.

And lo, in Mesopotamia, a miracle occurred. Even though the Great Surge of Armour that the evil Bush had ordered had been a terrible mistake, a waste of vital military resources and doomed to end in disaster, the Child's very presence suddenly brought forth a great victory for the forces of the light.

And the Persians, who saw all this and were greatly fearful, longed to speak with the Child and saw that the Child was the bringer of peace. At the mention of his name they quickly laid aside their intrigues and beat their uranium swords into civil nuclear energy ploughshares.

From there the Child went up to the city of Jerusalem, and entered through the gate seated on an ass. The crowds of network anchors who had followed him from afar cheered “Hosanna” and waved great palm fronds and strewed them at his feet.

In Jerusalem and in surrounding Palestine, the Child spake to the Hebrews and the Arabs, as the Scripture had foretold. And in an instant, the lion lay down with the lamb, and the Israelites and Ishmaelites ended their long enmity and lived for ever after in peace.

As word spread throughout the land about the Child's wondrous works, peoples from all over flocked to hear him; Hittites and Abbasids; Obamacons and McCainiacs; Cameroonians and Blairites.

And they told of strange and wondrous things that greeted the news of the Child's journey. Around the world, global temperatures began to decline, and the ocean levels fell and the great warming was over.

The Great Prophet Algore of Nobel and Oscar, who many had believed was the anointed one, smiled and told his followers that the Child was the one generations had been waiting for.

And there were other wonderful signs. In the city of the Street at the Wall, spreads on interbank interest rates dropped like manna from Heaven and rates on credit default swaps fell to the ground as dead birds from the almond tree, and the people who had lived in foreclosure were able to borrow again.

Black gold gushed from the ground at prices well below $140 per barrel. In hospitals across the land the sick were cured even though they were uninsured. And all because the Child had pronounced it.

And this is the testimony of one who speaks the truth and bears witness to the truth so that you might believe. And he knows it is the truth for he saw it all on CNN and the BBC and in the pages of The New York Times.

Then the Child ventured forth from Israel and Palestine and stepped onto the shores of the Old Continent. In the land of Queen Angela of Merkel, vast multitudes gathered to hear his voice, and he preached to them at length.

But when he had finished speaking his disciples told him the crowd was hungry, for they had had nothing to eat all the hours they had waited for him.

And so the Child told his disciples to fetch some food but all they had was five loaves and a couple of frankfurters. So he took the bread and the frankfurters and blessed them and told his disciples to feed the multitudes. And when all had eaten their fill, the scraps filled twelve baskets.

Thence he travelled west to Mount Sarkozy. Even the beauteous Princess Carla of the tribe of the Bruni was struck by awe and she was great in love with the Child, but he was tempted not.

On the Seventh Day he walked across the Channel of the Angles to the ancient land of the hooligans. There he was welcomed with open arms by the once great prophet Blair and his successor, Gordon the Leper, and his successor, David the Golden One.

And suddenly, with the men appeared the archangel Gabriel and the whole host of the heavenly choir, ranks of cherubim and seraphim, all praising God and singing: “Yes, We Can.”

Unpoor you just don't get it do you. Only Al Gore and his radical enviro chums are fool enough to see wind and solar as a "replacement" for oil and gas and other fossil fuels. That is not to say that they can't play a significant role (along with other things) in weaning us from FOREIGN oil and granting us our long needed energy independence from Arab Sheiks and nutty leftist dictators like Chavez. I notice from one of his posts today that montego is beginning to 'get it', why don't you??

I will say it again, even if it is only a small percentage of Islam say 10% that favors jihad and terrorism -- there are still 150,000,000 of them who want to murder you in your sleep!!!

Re DNA identification: Montego, you can rail against it all you want, but in 25 years all babies will have DNA taken, computerized, and put into a national data bank at birth. Get used to it. Its called technology and progress. It will allow quick ID of lost children and adults, quick ID of bodies even if so badly burned in an accident or so badly decomposed that they could not otherwise be identified; and will allow countless otherwise unsolvable violent crimes to be solved. It's coming. I'm not sure I'm for it either, but it's coming.

I will rail against government tyranny until the day they plant me in the ground. I do not want to live in a country where the government has seized or forcibly obtained the DNA, fingerprints, or other biometric data of innocent citizens. I do not want to live in a country where I am continually under surveillance by the government. I do not want to live in a country where the government is allowed ignore the Fourth Amendment and searches my person and property without any probable cause simply because I buy a ticket to travel in an airplane. I do not want to live in a country where the government is tracking my credit card purchases and bank transactions. I do not want to live in a country where my movements are tracked through devices in my automobile or my cell phone. I do not want to live in a country where the government tracks my travel and assesses me a “toll” based on where and when I drive. I do not want to live in a country where a national identification card is required to travel between states. I do not want to live in a country where the government monitors my so-called carbon footprint and extracts a tax from me as a result. I do not want to live in a country where the government decides what legal products I may eat, drink or smoke based only on its ideas of what is good for me. In short, I want to live in a country where I am free to travel about as I choose, eat, drink and consume legal products of my choice, conduct my business anonymously in public and in private, and remain free from government surveillance, searches or interference so long as I do not harm anyone else or otherwise violate any laws.

Totalitariansim through technology is not progress. It is tyranny. It appears that I am one of the few Americans who cares about any of this. If there are as a few of us as I fear, then we are all screwed. Liberty will soon be a thing of the past. I can only hope that I am dead before this country goes far enough down the toilet of totalitarianism that is unrecognizable to those of us who grew up with freedom and liberty. If I am not dead of natural causes, I will probably be shot by government agents while resisting their attempts to extract my DNA. In that case, so be it.

Unpoor you just don't get it do you. Only Al Gore and his radical enviro chums are fool enough to see wind and solar as a "replacement" for oil and gas and other fossil fuels. That is not to say that they can't play a significant role (along with other things) in weaning us from FOREIGN oil and granting us our long needed energy independence from Arab Sheiks and nutty leftist dictators like Chavez. I notice from one of his posts today that montego is beginning to 'get it', why don't you??



Posted by: richstacy on Jul 29, 08 | 2:03 pm


Those are just feel good rat-holes. Kind of like sending money to Africa and seriously expecting anything, behavior, corrupt government, tribalism to change.

Oil and Nuclear the only real solution with a proven track record.

Posted by: montego on Jul 29, 08 | 2:59 pm


I think you just did a fly by over the RINOs. Good post.

AmbyR, that thing you posted was hilarious about the media fawning all over Obama like he is the Lord himself. The truth is that if the real Christ actually came back in this day and age, the media would brand him a nut and treat him like dirt.

But they'll kiss the *ss of a crooked Democrat every single time!

LOS ANGELES — A strong earthquake shook Southern California on Tuesday, causing buildings to sway and triggering some precautionary evacuations. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

The jolt was felt from Los Angeles to San Diego, and slightly in Las Vegas.

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama was scheduled to meet Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke this afternoon in Washington, D.C. to discuss the US economy and how to bolster it. As Obama was entering the meeting he was alerted by the traveling press corp to the Quake. Obama urged calm, and said he would do everything he could to help the people of Southern California. "We are all Americans", Obama said, "And when something like this occurs, we stand together in solidarity with the people of California because we are all citizens of the world. Now is not the time for finding fault, even though the policies of criminal neglect of the George Bush Administration, and the corporate thievery of Dick Cheney and Haliburton are quite clearly to blame."

Southern California news Media are unanimous in crediting Barack Obama for stopping the massive plate slippage before it became a horrific magnitude 7 quake.

In Congress, Congressman Robert Wexler, (D) Florida, took to the House floor to demand an investigation of a possible White House conspiracy that led to the massive quake. Congressman Dennis Kucinich immediately added today's quake to his list of Impeachment charges against President Bush.

http://ridgeliner7.wordpress.com/2008/07/29/54-earthquake-rocks-la-obama-stops-it/

Monte: I guess you feel pretty strongly about the tyranny thing. Most of us don't think about that stuff often enough.

Thanks for alterting us to the dangers.

Beware the long arm of government!!

Beware also of plagiarists!!!

Ridgeliner: LMAO, that is exactly how the media would report it!

Ridge I love it, thank God Obama is all powerful Huh?

Alas montego, there is really no country left on earth where you CAN live where some of that stuff is not going on. Somewhere in the Amazon basin maybe --really. But at least we know what your problem is: you are not a conservative and you are not a Republican you are basically a libertarian with pronounced tendencies toward anarchy. Why don't you come and join "recreate 68" as they demonstrate against the Democrats here in Denver in august? Most of them are radical leftist anarchists m but they are compoaining about most of the same stuff.

Anarchy..........

The "wisdom of the crowd" isn't.

Wow, I am gone for 5 days and the blog is all over the place. LOL

I guess some admiration should be given to folks who come up with blogger persona names like "Stu Bidasoe".

Even greater admiration to them, had they also a thought to share.

Apparently having spent most of their creative energy in coming up with the name, there's little mental enegery left for anything resembling thought!

What do think, AmbyR?

What kind of thoughts went through your mind when you devised the phony Sir Lion?

Did it ever occur to you that he would have to express a actural thought?

And how did you plan on responding?

Let's see, AmbyR and unpoor, and all the rest of the right wing trash here, how do you weigh big lie issues against issues of abortion and Ted Kennedy, and Global Warming.

How do you reach the point (if ever you do) where you allow truth to overcome the big lie?

How do you live without respect?

Posted by: tkearns on Jul 28, 08 | 10:53 pm

See www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RL32492.pdf and particularly Table 1. Principal Wars in Which the United States Participated:
U.S. Military Personnel Serving and Casualties

Posted by: tkearns on Jul 28, 08 | 11:09 pm

Each of us did everything we were called on to do as best and as honorably as we could.

I was extremely fortunate in that I was assigned to work for a number of officers who challenged me to do things most other naval enlisted personnel never get involved in—they put responsibilities directly on my shoulders and made me carry them out.

As I’ve often said, we should all honor the service of our veterans. I would also note that anybody who dismisses the service of any man or woman who served honorable dishonors all veterans.

Posted by: tkearns on Jul 28, 08 | 11:44 pm

We have no idea whether 9/11 could have been avoided IF one action or another had been taken by any administration along the line.

We have pictures of Dick Cheney talking with Saddam back when we were providing him with weapons to wage war against Iran.

Of course, earlier, our CIA had installed a puppet government in Iran and the people of that country finally had enough of the Shah and kicked him out. They also took Americans Hostage—back when Carter was President—but they did not torture and kill them.

What if? What if? What if?

I did not feel “unsafe” during the years of any previous President. I had no reason to be since I felt that our government was doing its best to track down those who had bombed the Marine barracks in Beirut1983 or the bombings or our embassy in Beirut in 1983 and 1984 or the attack on the USS STARK in 1987. If I remember correctly the STARK was attacked by Israel.

Somehow the success we had (along with other countries) in kicking Saddam’s troops out of Kuwait (followed by restricting his use of airspace) gave a certain assurance that we had shown ourselves willing to react if attacked and that potential enemies (with that in mind) would be deterred.

The 1993 attack on the World Trade Center did not cause too much concern in most people—after all, it did not collapse and the FBI did its job.

Somalia, on the other hand, made me wonder why we had failed there but it did not generate fear in me or, I would conjecture, in very many people at all.

The 1996 attack on the Khobar Towers made me mad as hell but (at the time) there seemed to be nobody against whom we could really retaliate.

It wasn’t until the embassy attacks in 1998 (an attack loudly proclaimed as being his work by Osama bin Laden that I became fully aware that there was an organization out their called al-Qaeda that posed a threat.

About that same time the President of the United States was being impeached because he was a horn dog and lied about his involvement with Ms. Lewinski.

I seem to recall that there was a lot of talk about what Clinton did to try to retaliate was an effort to deflect attention away from his peccadilloes—the tail-wagging-the-dog scenario—and Clinton seems to have been in a damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don’t situation.

Even with the 9/11 attacks (as horrible as they were), it did not seem as if we should be afraid everywhere throughout this land of ours.

And, as we undertook (with our partners in NATO and help from other nations) to go to war against bin Laden and his Taliban and al-Qaeda minions, there was a certain feeling that things were being handled appropriately.

Of course there had been a time when the Taliban and even bin-Laden had worked against the Soviets in Afghanistan and the adage “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” seemed to apply. My how things do change.

Then came the drumbeat to go to war against Iraq and all of us were carried along by the fear that the “mushroom” cloud was just over the horizon if we did not invade because Saddam had weapons of mass destruction. We were also told that there was a connection between Saddam and al-Qaeda—that Saddam was responsible for 9/11—and given the suggestion that we were in immediate peril. Today—at least in my mind—none of what we were told seems to have been factual.

Years earlier, during the Presidency of Ronald Reagan, I had become aware of “The Project for the New American Century” and what the aims of those individuals (the neo-cons) were proposing. Those proposals included taking over Iraq.

As a result, when I learned that so many of those neo-cons would occupy high-level positions in the Bush Administration, I wondered just how long it would take them to invade Iraq. It was because of that understanding that I questioned what we were being fed as reasons for the invasion.

Of course there have been attempts to revise the history and making certain that Saddam could not attack the United States morphed into a need to depose him.

Incidentally, tkearns, Barack Obama champions increasing the size of the U. S. Army by 65,000 and the U. S. Marine Corps by 27,000. How does that amount to down-sizing the military?

As to your comments about a “civilian homeland security force” you had broached that subject before and I responded to your posting but apparently you did not read what I offered. He has suggested increasing present programs such as VISTA, AmeriCorps and others, and establishing other programs through which our citizens could contribute their efforts to making America the best it can be.

I would ask that you return to the previous thread and read my post of Jul 26, 08 | 2:30 pm.

ALBERT M. FORGET

Montego, would you mind sharing with us exactly WHY the notion of a national DNA data bank is so offensive to you? The government already knows your name, your address, your social security number, the names and addresses of your wife and kids; How much money you make, whether you own your own home, where you work, whether you've ever been convicted of anything, what you drive, how much it cost and how old it is. Where you vote, what your license number is, whether you pay your taxes and water bill on time, your race, and probably a lot about your medical condition; what foreign travel you've done and when. They require your car to be safety inspected and to meet clean air requirements, and they require your home to adhere to zoning and other standards set by covenants and by law. Etc etc etc. Besides all that, they take pictures of you constantly almost everywhere you go these days, and they do indeed search you without a warrant and without probable cause before they let you get on a plane; and they require your kids to be immunized and educated. I could go on and on, but you get the idea.

Having a record of your DNA seems rather mild by comparison. How would it cause any additional harm? If, God forbid, your wife or child is raped and murdered by an unknown assailant, wouldn't you want the police to have a chance of catching the bastard??

Rockfish,

Posted by: Rockfish on Jul 29, 08 | 9:44 am

You are, of course, correct.

When Kate Smith first started singing "God Bless America" it came close to replacing "The Star-Spangled Banner" as the National Anthem. I was but 5 years-old when I first heard it. Throughout World War II—and even unto the present day but particularly then—“God Bless America” helped us all remember to love this country of ours

I know and love the song and must have been having a senior moment else I would not have made the faux pas.

That said, Rockfish, the sentiments expressed in "America the Beautiful" are equally as beautiful and as much a paean to our country.

And, as I noted, the words of that song stand as a challenge to us if we are to do as our Founding Fathers told us and insure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.

Thanks for catching me up on the error.

ALBERT M. FORGET

Ridgeliner,

Posted by: Ridgeliner on Jul 29, 08 | 4:57 pm

I wonder how many idiots will take your words as other than the "Utter Nonsense" they are.

I wonder how long it will be before somebody like O'Reilly or Limbaugh picks up on your tongue-in-cheek (giving you the benefit of the doubt) offering and loudly proclaim it as truth.

ALBERT M. FORGET

Paul

The respect of whom? Liberals? I live just fine without that.

IMO the only things that MOST liberals respect are their own thoughts, feelings and ideas - screw everyone else, shout them down, attack them physically, call them vile names, threaten them, etc.; we have all seen the pro-abortion, pro-gay, pro-illegal immigration & anti-war rallies.

I did not invite you here, nor have I begged you to stay (I can't speak for anyone else here); so if we are so terrible, why are you still here? The door seems to still has your a** wedged in it! Perhaps you could try to scoot through the door and not let it hit you on your way out?

al,

You really need to lighten up! You lend credibility to the allegation that liberals have no sense of humor.

So many are aghast at the press coverage Obama is getting.

Many are railing against how main stream media seems to be in Obama’s pocket.

Take heart in this, the aura of inevitability often backfires on the candidate so anointed, just ask Hillary.

I’ve said many times before that most elections swing the way Independents go.

Independents are, well, independent.

We don’t like to be told how we will vote, we don’t like those who try and tell us how we will vote, and we sure as hell don’t like some stuffed shirt telling us why we will vote the way we do.

Independents are independent thinkers, we are fully capable of figuring out why we are voting for who we are without some analyst explaining it to us.

As a Independent I can see Obama for what he is, an empty suit who is letting his mouth write checks that his rear can’t cover. I’m willing to bet that the majority of my fellow Independents see it the same way.

Just as most of the analyst misread the 2006 mid terms and why the Democrats won back both houses they are once again misreading the direction this election is heading. I’m thinking we are in for another Dewey Defeats Truman moment.

Madam Speaker and her Senate counterpart are losing votes for Obama right and left. Their imperious track to forestall the needs of the country until after the election is becoming more transparent by the day.

Unfortunately this will not change the outcome of the House and Senate races. The Dimocrats will still gain seats in both houses.

My prediction, on January 20th President John McCain will face a hostile Congress, especially a Senate with a 58-40-2 alignment in the aisles. It will remain to be seen if he can truly reach across the aisle and accomplish anything.

Today is 99 days and counting until Election Day.

Afroggy2:

If anyone reading that piece didn't know it was the most blatant of parody, I am sorry to report to you I wouldn't give a fig, simply because one cannot live their life concerned about what morons think.

As for O'Reilly, he was a fellow in International Relations at the John F. Kennedy School of Government. Did you know that? Did you know he is close to Ted Kennedy and a few other liberal luminaries? No? Well, not surprising, I guess....because when one walks the walk as well as talks the talk, most don't bother to actually get to know the person subject to unmerciful smears. I have followed O'Reilly for many years, and if you don't understand he has cast a stern and scathing eye on conservatives and Republicans as much as he does on liberals and Democrats, you are guilty of drinking idealogical Kook-Aid as are many today.

The reason for this is we have become an all or nothing, with me 100% or against me society. That is very sad.

My advice to you is to stay away from the Kos and Huffpo for a few months...... ;-)

Can someone tell me if it is possible to start a thread here, and if so, how?

Thanks!

Nope, Ridge, we can't start our own threads.

Only KLC and their employees can do that. Out current hall monitor is John.

Hence why we most times go off the reservation and talk about what we want to on every thread.

Just like I’m about to do....

Anyway, I glanced at today's headlines on my homepage and another story jumped up and hit me between the eyes.

After yesterday's rant which included the school skipping ploy in Chicago I'm inspired to start an new file.

I'm going to call it the "Friggin' Idiots File" and here by copyright the use and title of it and furthermore grant all participants of this blog to freely use named title as long as proper credit is given to it’s author. ;-)

Today's winner is the city of LA which has stated, in a unanimous vote, that it is banning fast food chains from building new outlets in a impoverished section of the city. They say it’s for the health of the community that suffers from a greater proportion of obesity than the rest of the city.

In an effort to legislate a healthier lifestyle these Friggin’ Idiots seem to have forgotten one little thing. In banning the evil burger joints from despoiling the waistlines of the poor they also banned something else.

They are called JOBS.

Now, I know that many disparage the occupation of french fry flipper but many successful people got their start working in a fast food restaurant. By trying to modify a lifestyle by proclamation these California Loons may very well be disposing of opportunity as well as calories.

Thus they win today’s Friggin’ Idiot nod.

I saw that story yesterday, and a guy had a good observation:

"What's next? Some guard at the doorway who will say 'Sorry, you're too fat, you can't go inside'. ?

This to me is tantamount to the nuts running around justifying just about any intrusion in the name of "the children".

Who is "KLC", by the way?

Off to work now, but wanted to call everyone's attention to this article:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/29/AR2008072902068.html?hpid=topnews

Posted by: montego on Jul 29, 08 | 2:59 pm


Montego, you and I disagree on many things.

I am with you all the way on this one.....

FW, liberals DO NOT have any sense of humor. It is a fact. Their arrogance and condescension does not permit it.

Thanks, Dog. Clearly, the RINOS and other fools that have bought into the big government mentality just do not get it. They think that big government will never turn on them. They could not be more wrong.

I suppose that we anarchist libertarians will just have to live long enough to say, "I told you so" to the fools who consider technological tyranny to be progress.

I will continue to alert the blog to other government encroachment and further examples of techno tyranny. Most of this garbage starts in Europe and it will come here. Fight against it with all your strength. Don't doubt me on this.

Shutter, they also limited the food choices of the citizens based on nothing more than a Nanny State decision about what the liberal politicians have decided is good for people.

Liberty means that people are allowed to make their own choices. Some choices are good, others are bad. That is why, unless the government bans the sale and production of tobacco products, I maintain that it is wrong for the government to ban smoking on private property.

Sen. J. McVain (D-Hanoi) is again showing his true colors. He is pandering. He is backtracking. He is nearly as bad as his opponent, the candidate of change which is defined as him changing his mind on half the issues. Anyway, McVain runs about calling himself a conservative and spouting a liberal agenda. When a conservative citizen criticized his stance on global warming in a Nevada town hall meeting, he gave the man a condescending lecture about global warming. When asked about an increase in Social Security tax, he said he wasn't for it, but "everything is on the table." Including a tax increase? "Everything is on the table." He said it, but he is trying not to say it. Lying. Obfuscation. Pandering. Bah.

Shutter, if you are correct and if McVain wins and if the Democrats have a substantial majority in Congress, is there anyone here who seriously thinks that McVain will not give them 90% of what they want? That means massive global warming taxes, income tax increases, more spending than you can imagine, more regulation to strangle the economy, and liberal judges not conservatives.

The Chinese Communists will censor the internet during the Olympic Games. How is that for the spirit of international cooperation and all that other rot?

Does anyone here are one whit about the Olympics? I do not. I am sure that Time will make another lame topic out of something do with the games. Sigh.

The Olympics are what they are.

However, one should hope that all of the American participants do well.

If the allegations are true, Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Lonely Iceberg) is pretty damn stupid. Or else he is so arrogant that he thought he could take bribes with impugnity. I am sure that this stuff goes on constantly by most of our so-called representatives, but only a few get nabbed with their paws in the cookie jar. Speaking of which, I wonder what is happening with the indictment of Rep. Williams Jefferson (D-La.)

oooooo ! Ridgeliner, you have now stirred froggy into responses of a thousand words or more. Much of it a reiteration of his exploits, qualifications and experiences. Be prepared !

Ridgeliner,

GREAT article - thanks for posting it.

BobbyGee:

I once had a professor who delighted in saying that the reason why the Readers Digest was the largest circulation publication was its conciseness..... ;-)

Damn this no editing!

Freedom, thanks. Glad you found it of interest.

flag trivia;

According to U.S. law, there are officially designated days that all U.S. flags are to be flown at half-mast (for example: Memorial Day). The President and state governors also have the right to declare certain days that flags are to be flown at half-mast.

There is a particular group of U.S. flags that are never lowered to half-mast and appear to "violate" this U.S. Law. These flags were erected by U.S. Military personnel, but those troops will never be accused of doing anything wrong for those violations.

These flags are currently displayed today, and they have been for numerous years. Where is this particular group of flags displayed?

I won't put the answer here, so as not to ruin the 'thought process', but for those intrigued, the answer can be found here http://www.braingle.com/brainteasers/teaser.php?op=2;id=37173;comm=0

Ah yes Shutter -- America, the only country in the world whose 'impoverished " citizens suffer from obesity!

rich,

LOL, how true.

Ridge, KLC is a marketing company that runs this blog for Time, and occassionally has questionaires for us to answer about products advertised in Time.

I noticed Montego, that you couldn't spare the out-put in brain power that would have been required to respond to my question about why you specifically object to the relatively non-obtrusive but absolutely certain coming event of a national DNA database.

Instead as usual, you spent your efforts, as do all RINO non-Republican libertarians, tearing down John McCain and thus assuring the election of the former state senator from Chicago.

The thing that McCain does that you can't handle is something that virtually NO OTHER politician EVER does -- he tells the TRUTH. I know you have been conditioned to accept platitudes and lies from candidates but when you hear the truth you should recognize it.

Long live maverick truth telling -- down with lying, platitude-spouting, pandering politicians!!

http://www.worldpress.org/Asia/1961.cfm
For the perusal of all...Form your own opinions on us being the "only country in the world with obesity problems, amongst others.....

Here's one for you unpoor:
Denver oil billionaire Phil Anchutz founder of Anchutz Drilling, who has a knack for making literally tons of money, is going to build a huge 2,000 megawatt wind generation farm in southern Wyoming (enough to power 600,000 homes) and transmission lines from there to So. California. Oil billionaire T. Boone Pickens, as you know has similar plans.

Evidently unpoor, the smart money has different ideas than you do!!

Here's the article:

http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_10036833

Winter, my comment, partly tongue in cheek, was about 'impoverished citizens' who suffer from obesity, NOT obesity in general. Have you seen any impoverished Africans suffering from obesity? No, on the contrary, they are starving to death. That's the point. There are probably other well-to-do Western countries where 'impoverished' citizens are too fat as well. The point was, there is poverty -- then there is real poverty.

Thanks for the info, Rich.

McCain tells the truth slightly more than most politicians, I will agree to that.

Ronald Reagan used to fret privately about the "segmenting" of American voters. Given his background, he was more than familiar with advertising techniques and marketing in general. He used to fume about the trend, and was even more angry about its cynical deployment after his retirement, before the Alzheimer's took him into the twilight.

Obama's camapign is only the latest manifestation of it, the more blatant and obvious one in recent history. Carvel and Rove both used modern branding techniques coupled with clever segmentation of the voters, and using subtle word-of-mouth campaigns that were first developed by Lee Atwater for Reagan.

Reagan, given his history and age, realized it as a threat, a political "balkanization" of the American voter, as much of a threat as he viewed multiculturalism taken to extremes by the politically correct crowd.

Our more progressive-minded here, will be interested to know he viewed the workings of the anti-abortion crowd, the Falwell's and the Christian-right with the same critical eye, and wasn't at all shy about telling them so privately.

Obama's failure to convert the Independent and Women segments speaks more to the inability of his professional campaign staff to grasp those same basic, intrinsic concerns. They have been lulled by a false sense that the tide is with them, and have let their guard down, and begun the typical "world view" "PC" patter that has defeated every modern day liberal candidate. Most Americans DO NOT view their country as basically flawed, and they absolutely cringe at politicians saying so, or worse, saying so overseas, as Obama did.

McCain's best bet is to be himself, his staff needs to let McCain be McCain more often, IMO.

rich, Gotcha..

Ah yes Reagan i had the high honor of working or him for 8 years, and I dearly loved the man!
Gingrich has written a book called "Real Change" where he addresses the issue of the Balkanization of the American voters and the 'them vs us, Red vs Blue' view of the world. He doesn't like it, and he doesn't think Republicans will ever win elections by following it and continuing to narrow the base.

Of course Ronald Reagan was able to throw a 'big tent' and to appeal to independents and a large number of Reagan Democrats as well as both conservative and moderate Republicans -- and in MHO, we were all the better for it.

If McLame gets in it is because of Obama’s idiocy and arrogance and the fact that the Democrats are doing absolutely nothing about gas prices.

Democrats love high gas prices… creates another dependent class for them.

Regarding Reagan, he garnered votes from what people called Reagan Democrats by converting them to his way of thinking.

I am one of them. I changed parties in 1980 and voted for Reagan because his conservative positions made sense to me. I started to read the columns of writers like Buckley and Thomas Sowell and Buchanan. Those writings gave a political framework to things I already knew were right.

Reagan did not alter his stands on the issues to appeal to Democrats. Therein lies the difference between Reagan and the senator from Arizona. McCain offers Democrats a thinly disguised Democrat platform in order to win their votes.

As for McCain telling the truth, that's the reputation that the media has cultivated for him. It is pure cow manure. He is no more or less truthful than any other politician, which means not very truthful at all.

I don't know if his liberal positions will enable him to get enough Democrat votes to win but it sure has ticked off the mainstream of the Republican Party, which includes me. I will need a vomit bag when I go in the voting booth this year and pull the lever to keep Obama out of the White House.

FreedomWarrior (Posted by: FreedomWarrior on Jul 29, 08 | 9:48 pm and Ridgeliner (Posted by: Ridgeliner on Jul 29, 08 | 10:53 pm),

In my response to Ridgeliner’s posting I gave recognition to the fact that I thought of his remarks as being “tongue-in-cheek” in nature.

I have noticed that some people pick up on things of that nature—opinions—and consider them as fact. They are not!

As to Bill O’Reilly, Ridgeliner, I care not one iota about his education. I judge him on what he says on Fox News and (in my opinion) he is guilty of many of the things he accuses others of—things such as bloviating and spinning and being dismissive or abusive of others.

I have never visited “The Daily Kos” and have visited “The Huffington Post” but about 3 times. I would much rather read factual news than opinion.

Posted by: Ridgeliner on Jul 29, 08 | 11:54 pm

As you have your own blog would it not be appropriate to try and attract others to engage with you there? It is possible—if not probable—some who participate here will become regulars on your site.

I enjoyed reading Dana Milbank’s Column—an opinion piece—at the link you provided.

In his remarks he noted that Senator Obama (who will most likely carry the Democrats Banner in the General Election) is thinking about the transition which will be needed if he is the winner.

I wonder what, if anything, Senator McCain is doing in that respect.

Elsewhere Mr. Milbank noted the precautions taken by the Secret Service in protecting Mr. Obama.

For the sake of fairness, if nothing else, I would suggest he should have provided information concerning the actions the Secret Service take in connection with Mr. McCain. Does Mr. Milbank think that one candidate deserves protection than does the other? Come to think of it that might be the case in view of the abject hatred some radicalized individuals express toward Senator Obama.

Mr. Milbank remarked on the fact that not all “journalists” were taken along on Senator Obama’s trip. There is (in my mind) a difference between journalists (who provide straight-forward reporting of facts) and “Pundits and Columnists” who offer their opinions/spin on things. Mr. Milbank, in my opinion, falls into the latter category.

John McCain (and his minions) was making much of the fact that Senator Obama had not visited Iraq/Afghanistan/Pakistan since January 2006. When he took his trip the spin became “Why did it take so long”.

His trip to the area was done as part of a Congressional Delegation visit. The other participants in that visit were involved at every juncture but left the stage open to Senator Obama. If he does become our next President, the connections he made may be of value to our nation and to us.

If he had decided to visit the troops recuperating in Germany (those who are more seriously wounded are returned to the United States as soon as they are stabilized), the other senators with him could not have gone along unless they were to have paid their own way. If they had traveled on Senator Obama’s plane, they would have had to reimburse Senator Obama’s campaign from their own campaign funds.

I can imagine the loud protests which would have ensued had Senator Hagel done so.

Both Senator McCain and Senator Obama have frequently visited our wounded here at home. It would be shameful if either of them used such visits for political purposes.

The visits to Germany, France and England were paid for by his campaign and not out of Congressional coffers.

Opinion is opinion; spin is spin; journalism is the reporting of facts; and pundits/spin doctors are but pundits and spin doctors.

But I did enjoy the opinion piece and thank you for the link to it.

ALBERT M. FORGET

Montego,

The Chinese are repressive as hell and will do whatever they want.

Apparently they are sensitive to outsiders in one regard--for the duration of the Olympics dog meat is off the menu.

Representative Clinton fought to have the files the FBI seized excluded from being reviewed by the Department of Justice and considered in his trial because of “The Speech or Debate Clause (U. S. Constitution Article I, Section 6, Clause 1). In March of 2008 the Supreme Court let stand the decision of a lower court and as of that time Jefferson has to see (and review) the seized files to determine which of those files pertained to his work as a legislator. It is only after he has done so that the Justice Department can work to have them admitted into evidence—some of the seized materials may, in fact, be protected by The Speech and Debate Clause and may be excluded from consideration in a trial.

Meanwhile, the trial is on hold.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi publically called for Jefferson to step down from his committee assignment to the Ways and Means Committee (in May 2006). House Democrats voted to strip him of his assignments on June 15th and the following day the entire House of Representatives on a voice vote with no debate followed suit.

Thus far he has not been convicted of anything and it is understood he is running for reelection.

ALBERT M. FORGET

rich stacy & wintersoldier: I believe that 'impoverished obesity' stems from being malnourished. It isn't that the impoverished do not have sufficient food, its that their choices are wrong, partly driven by low income and partly by ignorance. Better small quantities of the proper foods than large quantities of predominately carbohydrates. There is also the habit forming syndrome derived from 'convenience' eating which can be a major factor leading to a malnourished condition. You often see this condition among those who are not impoverished, but choose fast foods high in fats and carbohydrates.

If liberals blame oil speculators as the only reason for increasing oil prices for the past several months ... as the cost of oil goes down, shouldn't the speculators be getting the credit by the same liberals?

More libtard hypocrisy.

Posted by: BobbyGee on Jul 30, 08 | 6:37 pm


Too many 'biggy' fires and shakes.

Posted by: richstacy on Jul 30, 08 | 4:21 pm


It was the libtard RINOs in his administration that tanked his second term.

Posted by: richstacy on Jul 30, 08 | 3:13 pm

He is spending and investing his own money... not taxpayers... big difference...

...got that concept figured out yet? Maybe you need to stand up, give your brain a little break and just be free to think a little bit.

That is why RINOs like you just don't get it.

Sen. J. McVain (D-Hanoi) is again showing his true colors. He is pandering. He is backtracking. He is nearly as bad as his opponent, the candidate of change which is defined as him changing his mind on half the issues. Anyway, McVain runs about calling himself a conservative and spouting a liberal agenda. When a conservative citizen criticized his stance on global warming in a Nevada town hall meeting, he gave the man a condescending lecture about global warming. When asked about an increase in Social Security tax, he said he wasn't for it, but "everything is on the table." Including a tax increase? "Everything is on the table." He said it, but he is trying not to say it. Lying. Obfuscation. Pandering. Bah.



Posted by: montego on Jul 30, 08 | 9:04 am


Just wait ... You'll see McLame do whatever he can to open the borders to Mexico.

Don't trust him, never will.

Well, well, it looks like the magic man is losing his luster. Could it be his lack of experience? Could it be his arrogance? Could it be his media underlings coverage? Try all of the above....


Quote:
Barack Obama has long been his party's presumptive nominee. Now he's becoming its presumptuous nominee.

Fresh from his presidential-style world tour, during which foreign leaders and American generals lined up to show him affection, Obama settled down to some presidential-style business in Washington yesterday. He ordered up a teleconference with the (current president's) Treasury secretary, granted an audience to the Pakistani prime minister and had his staff arrange for the chairman of the Federal Reserve to give him a briefing. Then, he went up to Capitol Hill to be adored by House Democrats in a presidential-style pep rally.

Along the way, he traveled in a bubble more insulating than the actual president's. Traffic was shut down for him as he zoomed about town in a long, presidential-style motorcade, while the public and most of the press were kept in the dark about his activities, which included a fundraiser at the Mayflower where donors paid $10,000 or more to have photos taken with him. His schedule for the day, announced Monday night, would have made Dick Cheney envious:

11:00 a.m.: En route TBA.

12:05 p.m.: En route TBA.

1:45 p.m.: En route TBA.

2:55 p.m.: En route TBA.

5:20 p.m.: En route TBA.

The 5:20 TBA turned out to be his adoration session with lawmakers in the Cannon Caucus Room, where even committee chairmen arrived early, as if for the State of the Union. Capitol Police cleared the halls -- just as they do for the actual president. The Secret Service hustled him in through a side door -- just as they do for the actual president.




He's already ordering around the British PM, Pakistani leaders, and trying to tinker with the World Bank. He hasn't won, yet he's overstepping in areas that any GOP type would have been crucified for. The arrogance of this little SOB is unbelievable.

Did Clinton pull this crap in 1992? Kerry tried this stunt and he failed, miserably.

Lining up to greet him? What is he, the Pontiff?

More like Anti-Christ. This man is dangerous and he's not even President. Imagine what swearing in and the titles will do to his ego. Imagine, what will be done to his opponents. Audits, credit rating hell, just the beginning....


Quote:
Inside, according to a witness, he told the House members, "This is the moment . . . that the world is waiting for," adding: "I have become a symbol of the possibility of America returning to our best traditions."


The world can screw itself. This is our country. And returning to our best traditions is hardly going to be the order of the day. Tripled taxes. Halts on all oil exploration, let alone drilling. Handing over billions to the Turd World. Our military being gutted for this. Negotiating with the mullahs of Iran and other terrorists. Teddy and Franklin Roosevelt ought be spinning in their graves over this. General Washington would be gnashing his wooden teeth also. This will end the US as we know it, if he gets the power of the office.

Oh, there's more....

The Atlantic's Marc Ambinder reported last week that Obama has directed his staff to begin planning for his transition to the White House, causing Republicans to howl about premature drape measuring. Obama was even feeling confident enough to give British Prime Minister Gordon Brown some management advice over the weekend. "If what you're trying to do is micromanage and solve everything, then you end up being a dilettante," he advised the prime minister, portraying his relative inexperience much as President Bush did in 2000.

On his presidential-style visit to the Western Wall in Jerusalem last week, Obama left a written prayer, intercepted by an Israeli newspaper, asking God to "help me guard against pride and despair." He seems to have the despair part under control, but the pride could be a problem.




Prayers being seen and heard by men. What a hypocrite. He might as well have left one prayer in Arab, to Allah.


Quote:
One source of the confidence is the polling, which shows him with a big lead over McCain. But polls are fickle allies: A USA Today-Gallup poll released Monday found McCain leading Obama by four percentage points among likely voters. Another reason for Obama's confidence -- the press -- is also an unfaithful partner. The Project for Excellence in Journalism reported yesterday that Obama dominated the news media's attention for a seventh straight week. But there are signs that the Obama campaign's arrogance has begun to anger reporters


Anger reporters, anger the wounded soldiers he snubbed. And angers the silent, soon to be loud, majority. This will lose him the election, if anything. That, and Ludacris doing a special rap song for Obama that has lyrics with phrases like- "McCain ought not be in the chair, unless it's got wheels and he's paralyzed" "the current Prez is brain dead, let's get one with brains in his head...." and "we're gonna paint the White House black, there's not turning back, as you'll never take that house back...." Militants won't play too well either. Obama is starting to be known by the company he keeps.

Despite the MSM lining up to touch his garment, you won't hear about more of the alternative and center to right reporters who are disgusted with this. Obama's presumptive attitude may be deflated when he loses his chance. It won't be his wife's big mouth, but his own that sinks his ship.

Here's more of the article....

Read this. It may be part satire, but it's also lots of warnings.

Speak out now, or forever hold your peace.

Holy guacamole, Batman!!!

That article was in THE WASHINGTON POST!!!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 68_pf.html

Apparently the libtard media is starting to notice what a self-possessed empty suit the Dimmies are going to nominate!

Just heard on hannity obamamama stepmother said Obama will be a leader for all the world I wonder which part of the world she means my sister in australia keeps sayiny to me everytime we speak people over there are mistified why americans would elect him with his muslim background etc she said it would never happen over there, so stepmama not all the world

ENPR: Static Poll Numbers Bad News for Obama

07/30/2008

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=27785

I am surprised the MSM is not going to an all democratic county and polling just them and saying Obamala is 100% going to win......that is more their style.....

UP, They tried that with Kerry, and Gore. Let's hope they do the same and jinx Obama. 3 Duds in a row. Wow, if we suck, what does that say about the jackasses who keep running against and LOSING to our people?

well al,

That shows you really don't know anything about Bill O'Reilly, because he says "please do not bloviate, that is MY job".

This man has done more for the news industry that the big 3 put together (ABC, NBC & CBS), which is why almost all the MM attack him (& lie about him) regularly!

His major causes are activist judges, illegal immigration/securing the border, political bias and child predators - in my book that makes him TOP SHELF!!!!!! These are the same issues that most of middle America cares about! If liberals and independents are the majority, and O'Reilly is not fair minded, then why is the O'Reilly Factor the highest rated cable news program by MILLIONS (in EVERY single time slot, including after hours), destroying the great liberal extremists MSNBC & CNN in ratings? He must be doing something right, despite the lefts vitriol attacks.

I also agree with that he has been as hard on Republicans as he is on dems - because he is a independent & fair.

If you spent more time watching him than you did reading far left attack pieces on him, then you would know that. One thing Bill O'Reilly is, is HONEST. When he makes a mistake or misspeaks, he ALWAYS admits it. Can the liberal pundits say the same??? They would NEVER admit theirfault (or their lame networks)!

Bill sometimes overinflated himself, but don't all people that are the top of their game? He is a good man with strong morals, principles and views; but unlike liberals, his are not for sale for any money or ratings! Too bad the liberal pundits can not boast the same.

Big difference with WHAT unpoor??

I've been trying to explain to you for weeks now that private investment is flowing into wind energy, and that it's part of the mix to give us energy independence. I don't favor public funding of it! You know that. What's wrong with you??

Afroggy2:

Anyone here is of course welcome to comment on anything I place on my blog, as well as anything someone else says as well.

You might be interested in this one: http://ridgeliner7.wordpress.com/2008/07/30/wright-fisa-guns-now-ludacris-pattern-is-obvious/

FreedomWarrior:

Well said! I know we are right because I keep getting dozens of emails weekly from conservatives and liberals spitting fire over something O'Reilly said.

What you need to remember is all this came about because O'Reilly went after that old faker George Soros, and his manipulation of the left by funding MoveOn, Huffington Post, Media Matters and Daily Kos, exposing his funding and his off-shore tax dodges as well as his munitions investing. He employs several PR firms to carry out his vendettas.

Here is another "interesting" coincidence about Barack Obama, and those closest to him:

Penny Pritzker, who is Obama’s finance chairman, and her family, were central to the innovation known as “Mortgage Backed Securities,” which are now at the center of the financial crisis and real estate melt down. She gave money to McCain for Senate in 1998, $4000 to Joe Lieberman in 2006 & $1000 to both John McCain and George W. Bush in 1999!

You can read the extensive documentation here: http://ridgeliner7.wordpress.com/2008/07/31/who-is-penny-pritzker-why-is-she-obamas-finance-chair/

Unpoor, I have heard the rap song dedicated to the election of Sen. B. Hussein Osama Obama (D-Iran). The lyrics are crude, but it is a wonderful illustration of the hatred, anger, and bitterness that radiates from almost all of Obama's friends, associates, and supporters. This so-called song depicts hatred toward women, white people, and the very country which Obama seeks to reign supreme over. Every voter should listen to it before going to the polls. Then vote for a third party candidate.

Ridgeliner: Sorry to keep butting in ,but trying to explain things of this type to unpoor, and being successful, would be like trying to convince Pope Benedict that abortion is God's will.

unpoor is fully committed to right wing politics no matter the outcome. IMHO, of course.

Here is a little history lesson for those of you who yearn for an all powerful federal government. The Founding Fathers were suspicious of government in general and deeply distrusted a strong central government. That is why they stipulated that the federal government could only exercise the authority specifically outlined in the Constitution. With regard to individual rights, many of the Founding Fathers argued against a Bill of Rights because the rights of a free people were myriad and incapable of being enumerated in a single document. The Bill of Rights was a compromise by which the most important of our rights were enumerated, but we still retained all other rights and liberties. Thus, it is not my burden to justify my opposition to having my DNA forcibly seized by the federal government. I have right to be secure in my person against unreasonable searches and seizures, except upon probable cause.

It has been said many times. Those who would trade their liberty for so-called security, deserve and shall ultimately receive neither.

FW, you make several good points in your defense of O'Reilly that apply equally to Rush, Michael Savage, Mark Levin, Hannity, and others. They all are very clear that they are commentators and that they have a point of view. They do not claim to be objective. They are not afraid to take on people that disagree with them. They try to mix in a news component to their shows, but unlike the drive by media, they honestly tell you that they are commenting on it and telling you what they think about it. By pure accident, I clicked on CBS TV News with that chick the other night. I watched one report. It was on gas prices and oil supplies. The "facts" it recited were 100% pure BS and the conclusions it gave were so biased and stupid that I laughed aloud. It was word for word what Algore would have said, except they extended to 2030 the date that we could get any oil from offshore drilling if we started now. Do they really think we are that stupid?

Ridge, Soros is just plain evil. Savage is now going after Media Matters and is looking into some type of legal action after they tried to ruin him over some recent comments he made on autism.

Amby, please remember that there is only reason that Sen. B. Hussein Obama has the appearance of an empty suit: his rhetoric is empty. It is empty because he is hiding what he really believes.

Unpoor, there is no question that, if elected, McVain will try to open the border and re-introduce the McVain-Kennedy Amnesty Bill.

Rockfish, you have it exactly right. Reagan did not pander like McVain is. Instead of having to carry a vomit bag, I suggest you consider looking for a third party candidate.

If McVain is elected with a Democrat majority in the Congress of Clowns, we will have:

Tax increases
Massive global warming regulations
Amnesty for illegals
Open borders
Constitutional rights for Islamofascist terrorists

The same results will obtain if Obama is elected.

How many of you are willing to consider a third party candidate this year?

I am pretty much in the none of the above camp. This election really sucks.

On one hand you got a communist in a muslim outfit.

On the other hand you got a crotchety old goat that doesn't know which party he wants to represent.

I feel like writing in the name of my sainted grandmother. At least she tells the truth and she doesn't believe in that global warming crap like these two buffoons.

Third party candidate?

The libtard inquisitor!

Bob Torquemada Barr

With Ken Starr as his running mate.

What a glorious campaign!

Montego,

I mentioned the vomit bag because the thought of voting for a liberal of either party just turns my stomach. There is no doubt that McCain is a liberal.

I have to admit that ever since Barr announced on the Libertarian ticket, I have sort of kept that in the back of my mind.

I am not sure that voting Libertarian gets us anything. Nevertheless, voting for a Rino, as you call him, does not advance us toward a conservative agenda either.

I believe that the congressional elections are highly important. In my district, we have a strong conservative Republican candidate against a weak Democrat. We have a chance there.

Nationally, I am not so sure. All the experts claim that the Republicans are going to lose seats in both houses. The Republicans just appear to be accepting this. If they don't believe in themselves, no one else is going to.

By the way, I strongly agree with you in terms of what you have been saying about liberty and federal government powers, including the airport searches, cameras and so forth. The city where I live was considering the traffic camera cop plans and other cameras, too. My councilman objected to the costs and the plans have been shelved.

Does that mean that I am also an anarchist or a libertarian?

Montego why don't you stop talking and start walking, good riddance! Bob Barr will love you. You can smoke a joint together. Hit the road Jack!

yes Montego, by all means go to your third party. Waste your vote and get the hell out of the way so the rest of us can get serious about saving this country from Barack Hussein Obama and his pals Harry Reid, Ludacris, Phil Specter, Nancy Pelosi, Jeremiah Wright, Father Phleger, William Ayers and Bernadine Dorne.

Those who haven't done so, should check out Ridgeliners blog!

http://ridgeliner7.wordpress.com/

Richstacy, you keep talking about saving the country from Obama. It seems that you are looking at the election as a power struggle between the R party and the D party. There is little difference. Some of us are capable of looking beyond that and looking at what is going to positive for our country. I don't see anything positive for the country if McCain is elected. I am particularly worried about the burdens on our economy of the climate change bureaucracy he wants to put in place. I agree with Rockfish that Mr. McCain is a liberal. I also notice that he seems to have more friends among the Democrats than in the Republican side. That tells me a lot about what he would do as president. I pray for our great country because either one of these men is going to be a disappointment.

But, at the same time, Helen, neither of these men, in my opinion, intends to do harm to the country.

They want to make their own decisions, create their policy, and do other things of their choosing. Their success depends of we, the people, the Congress and the SCOTUS.

That is why we have checks and balances. The Congress, the Judiciary, and the Supreme Court will keep any President in check.

Mr Bush came in in 2001 with all sorts of ideas on what he wanted to do. He was reelected in 2004 and claimed to have a "reelection dividend" that he could spend as he pleased.

We all know of the success he had.

We should all go to the polls in November and vote for the person of our own choice, deciding who that person will be on our own, and support him in any way we can.

If our guy is not elected, and if we cannot support the choice of the majority, then we need to start working to try and make a difference for 2012.

This nation will stand. I have faith!

unpoor,

Posted by: unpoor on Jul 30, 08 | 7:28 pm

Posted by: unpoor on Jul 30, 08 | 7:30 pm

Had you been keeping up you might have accessed the link provided by Ridgeliner in his posting of Jul 30, 08 | 7:43 am.

That said, it would be helpful if you would indicate that quoted material is such by the use of quotation marks and give attribution to the writer. In you two postings you did not once mention the name of the author of the article—Dana Milbank—or indicate the publication which printed it.

I would hope that nobody tries to abase you as a plagiarist for you should be given the benefit of the doubt as simply having forgotten the rules.

Though I would doubt you would care to reflect on my comments to Ridgeliner’s offering, I call your attention to my posting of Jul 30, 08 | 4:53 pm

ALBERT M. FORGET

FreedomWarrior,

Posted by: FreedomWarrior on Jul 30, 08 | 7:45 pm

Please be aware that I watch Bill O’Reilly on the “Fox News” channel almost daily and please take note that I have never read “a far-left attack piece on him”. I don’t know where I would go to read such an “attack piece” as I do not use blogs for purposes of gathering information.

My opinions of Mr. O’Reilly are what they are.

Maybe I should stop watching his program lest I be one of those inflating his ratings; but, in my point of view, whatever his ratings might be is of no concern.

When I hear him ranting and raving that a decision of the courts is not good, I cannot help but wonder if he has any respect for law and order at all or whether the only thing in that regard that is valid is “his” view of what the law should be and “his” view of who should be protected/punished by the law.

I have no idea of what the opinions of “most of Middle America” might be. The term “Middle America” is rather ephemeral in my opinion. What sectors of our American Society are encompassed by that term?

I do know that the citizens of the State of Washington—not even if it was a super-majority of those citizens—have no business trying to impose their collective will on the citizens of a state like Kansas or on any other state or political community.

Bill O’Reilly offers his opinions on things and those opinions are no more valid than are those of anybody else. I must admit though that if I hear him spout off on anything I can be assured that his remarks will be echoed here by some.

I would ask, FreedomWarrior, that you do me a service and provide me with places where I might learn of the “left’s vitriolic attacks” for, as I noted earlier, I do not know where I should go to read “attack piece(s) on Mr. O’Reilly.

ALBERT M. FORGET

Ridgeliner,

Thanks for calling my attention to your blog once again.

After viewing and listening to the posted video clip, I remain yet not a fan of rap music.

If Senator Obama likes such music that is his choice and it is his choice to make.

It does not cause me any angst at all that Mr. Obama might consider the artist amongst the best in the field and disagree with him over a particular message that artist might send in his lyrics.

Just as I might agree with you with one thing or another and respect the way in which you conduct yourself and phrase your opinions while participating here, I might well disagree with other things you might offer for consideration.

I read you blog comments several times over and ended up disagreeing on almost every point.

What you offered is your (undoubtedly fully considered) opinion.

Those to whom we refer as “pundits” are but individual who offer opinions—usually critical ones—and nothing more.

It makes no difference whether such critical opinions are offered in the media or on a blog for no matter where they are offered they remain simply opinions.

I recently heard the term “blundit”—ostensibly a combination of “blogger” and “pundit” used to those who set up blogs in which to expound their opinions. When I first heard the term I thought it might refer to “blundering” or even “bloviating” pundits. I wonder if the term will catch on.

I thank you for calling my attention (once again) to your blog. I may visit it again; but, if I conclude it offers but one point of view, I may choose to not visit it at all. After all, I can get that point of view simply by coming to this weblog.

ALBERT M. FORGET

Bob Torquemada Barr

With Ken Starr as his running mate.

What a glorious campaign!

Posted by: paul on Jul 31, 08 | 12:30 pm





It shouldn't surprise anybody that similar worded attacks on Mr. Barr have been posted on Daily Kos.

In a recent article Brilliant conservatice columnist Charles Krauthammer noted numerous examples of the arrogance of Barack obama including wanting to speak at the Brandenburg Gate and axcting like he is the savior of the world. Then he says,

"Americans are beginning to notice Obama's elevated opinion of himself. There's nothing new about narcissism in politics. Every senator looks in the mirror and sees a president. Nonetheless, has there ever been a presidential nominee with a wider gap between his estimation of himself and the sum total of his lifetime achievements?

"Obama is a three-year senator without a single important legislative achievement to his name, a former Illinois state senator who voted "present" nearly 130 times. As president of the Harvard Law Review, as law professor and as legislator, has he ever produced a single notable piece of scholarship? Written a single memorable article? His most memorable work is a biography of his favorite subject: himself.

"For the first few months of the campaign, the question about Obama was: Who is he? The question now is: Who does he think he is?"

GOOD QUESTION!!

al Says, ..."but, if I conclude it offers but one point of view, I may choose to not visit it at all. After all, I can get that point of view simply by coming to this weblog."


Yeah Al, we know the 'point of view' you prefer!

One should expect nothing less from Mr Krauthammer.

He, too, probably has an elevated opinion of himself.

For those who think we are all victims of a conspiracy of American oil companies here is something of interest that comes to me from a friend at Chevron. Note that you have to get clear down to #17 or so until you even find an American company and not e how puny it is compared to the foreign national companies!!! this is what we are up against and we import 70% of our oil from these jokers!!



http://www.petrostrategies.org/Links/Worlds_Largest_Oil_and_Gas_Companies_Sites.htm

BD, puleeeze, you can't deny the utter arrogance of Barack Obama!

Hannity just FLATLY rejected a third party.

I would call it confidence.

Sometimes it is difficult to know the difference...or at least call it different.

Posted by: SidH on Jul 31, 08 | 3:09 pm

Not surprised, he has on occasion been known to borrow from other sites.

http://www.bobbarr2008.com/splash/?s0618

Who the heck is Wayne Allyn Root?

"Our problem isn't a shortage of fuel, it's a surplus of government."
-- Ronald Reagan

It is clear that the Democrats have adopted a "let them eat cake" stance on gas prices.

Yes, big dog, but the difference in 'elevated opinions' is that Krauthammer is a columnist and Nobama is seeking to become president. Delusions of granduer are OK if the person with delusions is private and not in a position to wreak havoc.

And, I don't know if the "nation will stand", but it will as hell have to persevere if it expects to stand. Neither Nobama nor McCane promise anything different. Even if they did, they still have the Congress of Clowns to contend with and therein lies the problem.

Obama Plays Race Card?

Sure seems to me he is, in a sneaky way.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id ... _article=1

Notice how slick and subtle he did it? This ain't 1920. Alot of folks will see this for what it is. The only question will be who agrees with it and who opposes it. My fear is that "guilt ridden whites" will excuse almost anything.

I really pray the majority wakes up. The man is dangerous.

Posted by: richstacy on Jul 31, 08 | 3:29 pm

Yes, richstacy, and there is absolutely no doubt at all about your preferences.

ALBERT M. FORGET

Posted by: richstacy on Jul 30, 08 | 4:21 pm

I can understand how you might have come to "love" Reagan; but, during the 8 years of your employment in the Department of Justice, were you not working for the people of this nation rather than for President Reagan.

If not, should I liken you to Alberto Gonzales who seems to have thought of himself as the President's attorney rather than the peoples.

Mukasey seems to be of the same mindset and, though I had hped better of him, if there was time to do so I would suggest his removal from office.

The oath is to the Constitution not to a particular politician.

ALBERT M. FORGET

Can't write much tonight... we are inflating all the tires on both the van and pick up tonight... well that's about all Obama has for an energy plan... inflate tires and raise taxes.

...LOL Obama is such a dumbass...

Now al, as any presidential appointee can tell you, they serve at the pleasure of the POTUS and their first loyalty is to the man (person) who appointed them.

To do otherwise would be the act of a rabid cur.

To be sure, there are times when they who appointed someone does something so vile to warrant the loss of that loyalty but up until that point my original assertion stands.

This is why such appointments should be based on ability instead of nepotism. Any manager worth his weight will tell you that you surround yourself with good people and then get the hell out of their way and let them do their job.

Your main problem is that you haven’t come to the conclusion that I have.

As I said before, I’m a charter member of the Anti-Bush League and still hold his administration responsible for many ills this country is currently facing. Tomato-gate is just one of the most current. The historically weakened dollar, the housing crunch (indirectly), cowing to Mexico and China despite proven threats to the American People by these nations, etc, etc.

But over the last few years my personal view of the man himself has mellowed. I don’t think that there was any malicious intent to harm the people of this country, I honestly think he believed that his policies were in the best interest of the nation. I just think he surrounded himself with the wrong people and was undone by times that were beyond his abilities to handle.

Given some of what has transpired over the last eight years it would have taken a Lincoln or a Roosevelt to lead this nation to a positive position. Poor George just wasn’t up to the task handed him.

As I said before, it does us no good to cry over spilt milk, it’s unproductive and while you are shedding your tears the mess just becomes harder to clean up.

We need a leader that will return our national sovereignty and tell these other countries where they can go.

We need a leader that understands the difference of competing in a global economy and allowing it to control us.

We need a leader who once more puts the good of the American People over the needs of the special interest, foreign and domestic.

But most of all we need a leader who understands that We The People are fed up to the breaking point of obstructionist partisan politics and will take heroic measures to get down to business.

It’s unfortunate that this year our field of candidates lack such a leader.

On the contrary, Shutter, and for your edification Al, while I greatly admired President Reagan, and he never gave me the slightest reason not to, my first loyalty was always to the USA and the Constitution and laws of the U.S. and not to ANY individual --ever.
and it was not just me, I always made sure that all those to whom I administered the oath (and there were many) had the same understanding. We prosecuted 'good old boys' of both political parties without fear or favor, and never one time in 13 years did I consult a frickin politician of any stripe as to how to do my job or lay off of any one because of politics, and no one, Senators, congressmen and judges included would have been likely to suggest otherwise! They new better! I never abused my power and I always exercised it for the benefit of the people. I required the same of my people.

That is why I, and virtually every former United States Attorney, R & D alike, was so repulsed by the outrageous firing of 8 United States Attorneys by Bush Administration nobodies for refusing to prosecute for political reasons or for prosecuting those who were deemed immune for political reasons.

I doubt Al, if you can say the same. Did you ever "suck up" Al? could it be that is why you enjoy so much tearing down those who did not.

And Al you were working for the people when you worked for all those Admirals. You did not work for the Admiral you worked for us the people. Yeg Right.

But tk, in your constant praise of Reagan you prove what I was saying that your first loyalty was to him. Please understand I’m not saying or even suggesting that means you would compromise the position you held for said loyalty. I’m sure Ronald Reagan would never have expected anything less.

To the contrary, you lived up to the ideals of the position that you were appointed to. Your love and respect for the man made you better at the position you held because you wanted to uphold the trust that he placed in you. This is a trait that should be respected and honored rather than sniggered at or derided.

You may not agree with my assesment but for someone who is looking in from the outside it’s how I see it.

As for the firings, having political pressure placed upon your office to prosecute for political reasons would, IMHO, fall into the category of doing something vile enough to warrant the loss of that loyalty.

But that would never have been an issue with the Reagan Administration. He was a manager worth his weight as he knew the value of picking good people and then leaving them to preform the job they were hired to do.

Serving at the pleasure of the President should never involve the performance of anything that smells of unethical practices.

This really goes beyond political appointees and is pretty much at the heart of our current negative atmosphere in this nation.

Loyalty is either a misunderstood or defunct concept anymore.

When you show your loyalty you are often called a lap dog or a stooge. You are a kool-aid drinker and a brown nose.

Today, it is all too common for former employees to try and cash in on what they learned while working in a given job. Be it a former nanny or press secretary writing a tell all book, it has become an accepted practice and the public at large laps it up in mass quantities.

I wish with all my heart that there were more like you who revere those who you worked for, those who would never sell out for their thirty pieces of gold.

BG, I thought using "tag names" was above you.

The two people you mentioned are the presumptive party choices we have to deal with. There are a scattering of other candidates (Barr, Nader, etc.,)and there could be more by November.

As far as the Congress is concerned, 1/3 of the Senate and the entire House is up for reelection this November.

Choose wisely....

Poor George just wasn’t up to the task handed him.



Posted by: shutterhunter on Jul 31, 08 | 11:01 pm

oh I don't know... no terrorist attack on American soil since 9/11... that alone is a big accomplishment.

Taking the battle to the ME, as apposed what liberals in Congresss and Obama wanted, fighting in NY and LA. I'd say he did fairly well. He cannot communcate but he did well with regard to keeping us safe on the homeland.

That is why I, and virtually every former United States Attorney, R & D alike, was so repulsed by the outrageous firing of 8 United States Attorneys by Bush Administration nobodies for refusing to prosecute for political reasons or for prosecuting those who were deemed immune for political reasons.

Posted by: richstacy on Jul 31, 08 | 11:47 pm


Wow.... Bush can fire anyone in his adminsitration for any reason at all... plus you need to get your facts straight on the situation. You really do sound just like one of those education 'I have a right to a job' libtard hacks now.

Are you feeling Ok? Or is this another person writing under the Rich's name?

Statements like the one you made define RINOs.

Posted by: unpoor on Aug 01, 08 | 8:09 am


That is one statement the Bush Administration can always fall back on. "This country has not been attacked since 9/11."

They, for common sense reasons, cannot tell us if there were/are any planned attacks. How many planned attacks were foiled/prevented.

How much information, that is, valuable information was obtained from Guantanamo and other places, etc.,.

Yes, that is the one thing they can rest their laurels on.

We have to take their word for it.....

Sid, apparently plagiarists cannot be rehabilitated.

Shutter, loyalty is, alas, a thing of the past in most circles.

Speaking of ending obstructionist party politics, where are the outcries from the drive by media about gridlock in Congress? Everybody agrees we need more oil. The citizens overwhelmingly want to drill here, drill now, and pay less. Yet Mrs. Pelosi and Dirty Stinky Harry are preventing any vote in either house about offshore drilling or in Alaska. Answer: because the drive bys, like all liberals, love high gas prices. They want you frustrated and angry. They know that some of you will blame Bush. They want you to park your car and get on the bus. They want to be able to bash the evil oil companies. They are obstructionists, pure and simple.

I heard a segment of an Algore appearance on Nightline 16 years ago. At that point, he claimed that we had only 10 years left to act before the ozone was gone and global warming had destroyed the planet. Here we are six years later, doing fine. The air and water have never been cleaner in America. All the pollution is in the communist and ex-communist countries. Good grief.

Hannity rejects a third party because Hannity is in the tank for McVain. He has been there for months. Hannity proclaims that he only agrees with McVain on about 60% of the issues and yet plans to vote for him. Fool.

Hannity claims that we should work to get McVain elected and then press him to support conservative principles. Hannity is naive if he thinks that McVain gives a damn what conservatives think. He never has and he never will.

McVain is like any other RINO. To them, conservatives are only because they can point their fingers at us and proclaim to the media, "See, see, I'm not like them. They are extremists." Blah, blah, blah.

Sen. B. Hussein Osama Obama (D-Nation of Islam) apparently is a fan of rap music. That is , of course, his choice. It indicates belies, however, the sophistication that his backers claim he has. It does confirm the bitterness, crudeness, and hatred that is in his heart. More striking than all that is that he has publicly stated that his three or four year old daughter loves one of the songs by his buddy, Ludicrous. That song features the N-word, the F-word, the B-word, and the H-word. Nice stuff for a responsible parent to expose a four year old to. And this idiot wants us to trust him with the whole country's future?

John Edwards, a/k/a "The Breck Girl", continues to hide in bathrooms to avoid questioning reporters. They want to know about his alleged affair while his wife is in the cancer ward. I hope he is still on B. Hussein Obama's short list for VP.

NYPD calls on citizens to fink on their neighbors and even send videos and pictures electronically to the cop shop. Good grief. This is as disgusting as Bush's plan to have mailmen act as informants. This is just the way the KGB used to do it in the Soviet Union. Have Bush and the NYPD officials been to Putin's office for training?

Mrs. Pelosi has written a book and apparently no one cares. At last count, she had sold 1,610 copies. Whoopee!

As the sensitivity police in America grow in strength, this will be here soon. Saudi Arabia's religious police have announced a ban on selling cats and dogs as pets, or walking them in public because they claim that men are using them as a means of making passes at women. Yes, one of these days, you won't be allowed to have your dog or cat because the Islamofscists don't approve.

My brother lives in Minnesota and today is the 1 year anniversary of the collapse of the I-35 bridge in Minneapolis. It was the most used bridge in the whole state and in the metro area. One year later and the incompetents at the NTSB still have not determined a cause. One year later and the incompetents in state and federal government have not completed its re-construction. A few weeks after its collapse, the idiot RINO governor (who reportedly is being considered for McVain's VP) announced that he would do everything possible to expedite the rebuilding. That meant at least 18 months. It looks like that goal will never be met. For God's sake, get the Army Corps of Engineers, get the National Guard, find somebody who can build a damn bridge in less in less two years. Good grief. Meanwhile, the people of Minnesota apparently are sitting in traffic for even longer than they were before. My brother tells me it increased his commute from 20 minutes to 40 minutes each way.

Fish, yes it probably makes you a libertarian with a tendency toward anarchism, just like me. Welcome to the club. I say we don't have to accept the idiotic premise that we only have two choices. It is a false premise. Look around. There are people like Barr and others with whom you may find yourself in agreement. Of course, nobody's perfect, but check it out. Barr is a serious option. I am glad to see that others are also opening their minds to a third option.

Fish, I am surprised that you were spared an attack by the small RINO contingent here after your vomit bag comment. LOL

montego: Where do you think the good people of Minnesota live ? In the People's Republic of China ? ;^)

big dog: "Tag names" are just plain fun. You have to have somewhat of a sense of humor to appreciate them. Now to get serious. I surely hope you do not believe that re-elections to the House and Senate are going to change the political landscape. The congress is institutionalized to the point of ineptness and inability to attend to the peoples business because they are too busy paying back the special interests that got them elected ! This is no longer 5th grade civics, big dog. You are now in a world of highly refined white collar malfeasance designed to appear benign and helpful. Occasionally they make stupid mistakes, as most recently did Sen. Ted Stevens. Only rarely and occasionally are we able to see through the greasy haze of deep fat frying 'pork' we are told is good for us. The lucky and more powerful ones, like Robert Byrd, become venerated and elevated, and allowed to drift off into senility and death thereby avoiding a fate similar to that of Stevens.

The I-35 bridge collapse is just another example of how politicians everywhere and at all levels have a propensity to flit from problem to problem, even when interspersed by disaster, without solving anything. In fact, they usually use the disaster to obfuscate the problem and move on important issues like funding for kumquat cultivation or building bridges to nowhere or whatever foolishness strikes either their fancy or inflates the bank accounts of donors. No one, absolutely no one, can convince me Nobama or McCane can fix the problem.

We are doomed to continue on with our greed, indifference ,and ignorance until we reap the rewards of ignominy provided by our politicians.

BG, we need term limits and we need them badly at all levels of government.

It is quite clear to me that the Democrats in Congress are blocking a vote on drilling our own oil so that Obama does not have to vote on it. He can continue to ignore the issue and tell us to get our cars tuned up and that will lower the price of gas.

BG, Somthing like the highway to nowhere, I-93 in Boston....over 10 years.....

well al,

One of those "rants" was about 2 adult men, that repeatedly raped a mentally handicapped girl, for several years, but both got probation - is that "justice" in your opinion?

What about Jessica Lunsford, being kidnapped, brutally raped, then buried alive; the little troll that committed those crimes had committed SEVERAL of these types of evil crimes previously, but the "justice" system failed to permanently incarcerate him. Is that "justice"?

What about Duncan Hunter? He was free because the system failed. He was a pedophile, with prior convictions for forcible rape of a child. The prison repeatedly said they felt he had a "HIGH PROBABILITY" of re-offending. He went on the kill several members of a family, with a hammer, in front of the 2 children he ultimately kidnapped. He then repeatedly raped both children and brutally murdered the boy. Is THAT "justice"? Is that a story that does not NEED to be covered aggressively?

What about the multitude of cases involving illegal aliens, killing, raping, maiming, robbing, attacking US citizens, but not deported after the convictions, due to Sanctuary cities policies, only to go on to commit more of these appalling crimes. Is that "justice"? Are they not worthy of aggressive reporting and a demand for action?

Like I said, Bill O'Reilly is top of his game because he fights the fights that are important to America - child sex offenders, activist judges that let these animals walk free, illegal immigrants committing crimes but not deported because of the sanctuary cities around the country, American Citizens being victimized by people that not only should not be here in the first place, but are not deported after multiple offenses - do you not think these are worthwhile causes? If it was not for the pressure & demands for "justice" from Americans with full pressure applied by Fox News in general & Bill O'Reilly specifically, there is no doubt in my mind Jessica's Law would not be in almost every state in the Union!!!!

In my opinion and obviously MILLIONS of others, Bill O'Reilly uses his power for good unlike; Soros, Turner, Penn, Robbins, Sarandon, Fonda, King, Blitzer, 1000s of University Professors and so many other liberals that I do not even have the time or energy to list! I do not always agree with O'Reilly, but I honesty believe his heart is in the right place, he is fair and he cares deeply about the issues he highlights on his show.

I totally agree unpoor - Clinton fire over 100, yet I did not hear a single whimper.

I also want to know if there is irrefutable proof that they were fired for political reasons. Maybe I missed that story?

If a voter should complete and send in their mail ballot, it should be honored. A voter need only be alive when they vote, not when the ballot is tallied.

Unpoor, If there is any single lesson that GWB has learned in his presidency, it is that he CANNOT fire anyone he wants to for any reason he wants, at least not without major consequences. U.S attorneys are NOT teachers unpoor, They are presidential appointees confirmed by the Senate who hold the highest security clearance. They are sworn to uphold the Constitution and they work for the people, not for the president or anyone else.

It is one thing to replace them at the change of an administration, that is always done -- quite another to try to fire them for refusing to engage in partisan prosecution -- that is NEVER done. There are only about 300 former U.S. Attorneys in America (the majority Republican) and not a single one of them to my Knowledge, (I'm on the board of their national organization defended this firing.

Stop and think about it unpoor -- do you want U.S. attorneys who would engage in partisan prosecutions at the whim of some minor political functionary?? If you do you are a bigger fool than I think you are.

BTW, FW, there are not 'over 100' there are only 93 U.S. attorneys total nationwide including the Virgin Islands Puerto Rico and Guam. I was one of the 93 replaced by Clinton and it did NOT happen overnight. It was a slow process. A year later there were still at least 20 of us around. When Reagan was elected it was just the same, except that there was one Carter appointee still around 12 years later when Clinton was elected!!

And you are wrong, there were lots of whimpers when Hillary and political hack Webb Hubbell fired the U.S. attorneys. the maojor complaint was that it was an attempt to interfeere with the indictment of Rostentoski by Jay Stevans, the USA in DC.

rich

I love Charles Krauthammer! He is a really brilliant man.

I would love a third party, BUT it is too late in this quarter to attempt that!

I would be on-board for 2012.

rich,

I stand corrected; although I do not remember there being any whimpers, I am sure that you would know better than I.

Montego the cause of the bridge collaps e was pinpointed at least as long ago as January.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/transportation/4245065.html

FW,

It was major news at the time. The WSJ ripped Hillary and her plant at Justice Webb Hubbell who shortly was himself indicted and sent to prison.

Yep Fish, Monty is right, there IS a third choice. Remember Ross Perot? He was a third choice too. He got us Bill Clinton for 8 years. Great thinking on the part of his supporters Huh?

I made a horrific typo; I put Duncan Hunter instead of Joseph Duncan. I think it was because I read an article this morning that talked about Duncan Hunter.

UUUUGGGHHHHH, don't 'ya hate it when that happens!?!

I think that eventually it will come out that the nut who beheaded the guy on the bus in Canada is a muslim. That is how they treat infidels.

I totally agree unpoor - Clinton fire over 100, yet I did not hear a single whimper.

I also want to know if there is irrefutable proof that they were fired for political reasons. Maybe I missed that story?



Posted by: FreedomWarrior on Aug 01, 08 | 1:09 pm


Agreed... rich is nothing less than another hack for the lawyers... And like other fellow slime ball lawyers, they only take care of themselves. If it was any other industry you wouldn't see Mr Rino, I mean Mr Rich even care.

Someone needs to help Rich realize, when he is in a hole to stop digging.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and the Democrats adjourned the House and turned off the lights and killed the microphones, but Republicans are still on the floor talking gas prices.



I have been critical of the GOP lately, but praise is deserved when they do the right thing.

Way to go guys!

http://www.politico.com/blogs/thecrypt/ ... lking.html

HIGHLIGHT:
“This is the people’s House,” Rep, Thaddeus McCotter (R-Mich.) said. “This is not Pelosi’s politiburo.”

First Time In My Adult Lifetime I Am Really Proud Of Republicans

I just went and checked all the MSM sites. Are they reporting this?

Fox - Nothing, leading with Anthrax Story
MSNBC - Nothing, leading with Anthrax and Eclipse
CNN - Nothing, but they do have a lead about CHEVRON's profits being up!
ABC - Nothing, leading with McCain compares Obama to Moses
CBS - Nothing, leading with bus decapitation

Excuuuuuuse me! But Madam speaker should be informed that this is the HOUSE OF THE PEOPLE and NOT THE PERSONAL ADDRESS OF MR AND MRS PELOSI AND HER BROOD!!!!
I find this to be an outrage.....where the hell are the balls of the American people?? Vote them out...better still.....IMPEACH THEM!!!!...they are the enemy of the American people.
Last I knew, she worked for US...not the other way around.

HERE IS THE NUMBER!!! I just called and told the guy at the switchborad what I thought and he transfered me to her 'voice mail'...I left my message but she is not going to appreciate the tone of my voioce....
Call that number and leave a message...it is the only way, friends...they work for us and not the OTHER WAY AROUND
1.202.225.0100

Unpoor I couldn't agree with you more!! But how are you going to vote Pelosi out? Her District is San Francisco. They like her just fine! It's one of many completely 'safe' districts. Couldn't pry her out with a crowbar! Oh and unpoor, she's not going to actually hear your voicemail message either.

However, it is a huge political mistake for the Dems to leave town without taking action on drilling -- huge. what idiots. for example, it may well cost People's Republic of Boulder, Mark Udall the senate and insure that Conservative Bob Shaffer will get in. Hooray! Thanks Nancy!

"And like other fellow slime ball lawyers, they only take care of themselves."
Unpoor you have no clue what you are talking about. I assure you that no one who knows me thanks I am a hack for lawyers. Not one single person.
Your insult is totally uncalled for. Such baseless insults reflect very badly on you personally and unfortunately on conservatives in general.

You are the epitome of why a great many independent Americans think the right wing lacks credibility and is full of nut-jobs.

Obama's great European tour did nothing at all for his poll numbers. it should have bumped him up about 10 point minimum. it did not. IMHO the reason is that he appears to be almost unbelievably arrogant, and is taking the presidency for granted as his entititlement.

That and the fact that HE keeps playing the race card. He wishes that the Republicans would do it but they don't so he does it. The lines about how the Republicans are going to try to scare you because I have funny name and I don't look like all those other presidents on dollar bills is almost too disgusting for words. He's trying to make the Republicans and McCain bogeymen by using race to suggest that they are racist. What an idiot!!

And this on the heels of the racial hatred sprewed by his mentor the Rev. Wright!!

I think he's really setting himself up for a fall.

This piece by General PX Kelly, former Commandant of the Marine Corps sets forth with great clarity the difference in John McCain and Barack Obama and why the latter cannot be trusted to be commander in chief.

McCain has shown excellent judgment on Iraq and Obama's couldn't be worse . This is a must read!:


http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_10060514

Afroggy2:

Thanks for visiting, but I am troubled by your comment about one point of view.....

You have only one, so why are you disliking those who are the same as you?

Or does it have more to do with you tolerating a radical left POV, but having a closed mind to anything else?

richstacy,

Your comment on unpoor:

"Such baseless insults reflect very badly on you personally and unfortunately on conservatives in general."

Do you think she really cares?

Or even knows what she's doing.

Amplifiers have no real sense!

Ridge, I've been asking Al the same question for a very long time. You won't get an answer. I never have. He can't see his own one-sided bias, and he doesn't respect opinion's different from his own.

opps, I goofed.

This mornings post I mentioned tk.

It was rich I was responding to.

Guess I need to be more careful when typing before 6 AM.

My bad. Sorry

Obama must read this blog.

___________________________________

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Friday he would be willing to support limited additional offshore oil drilling if that's what it takes to enact a comprehensive policy to foster fuel-efficient autos and develop alternate energy sources.

Shifting from his previous opposition to expanded offshore drilling, the Illinois senator told a Florida newspaper he could get behind a compromise with Republicans and oil companies to prevent gridlock over energy.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080801/ap_on_el_pr/obama_66
___________________________________

I believe I said several month ago that the left was stupid for not using drilling as a barganing chip to get the advances in other fields that they want.

Imagine my surprise when I seen this story showing that Obama has adopted that line of thinking.

Go Figure. I guess we can really claim to be Opinion Leaders :-p

Shutter:

According to his autobiography, Barack Obama is merely a blank screen onto which those who support him project their own views.

Accordingly, he hasn't actually changed his position on off-shore drilling at all. In fact, he has favored it all along. :P

Next The Annointed One will make the same thing clear about nuclear generation and ANWR, I suppose, along with his more recent revelations about gun control, FISA and No Child Left Behind.

We should all beg his indulgence as to our total ignorance in not understanding he supported those important issues all along.......

ROFLMFAO!

BTW, I have a copy of "Obama Nation" on my desk, and intend to be done with it this weekend. Check out this link for important information on Obama, parts 1 & 2: http://www.foxnews.com/hannityandcolmes/index.html

Posted by: richstacy on Jul 31, 08 | 11:47 pm

Matter of fact, richstacy, I did not "suck up"--not ever.

That is why I ended up going to "Captain's Mast" 5 different times--all but 1 of those times because I had the audacity to stand up for my subordinates and in doing so gave junior officers openings which they could use to take me before the commanding officer.

I would not have thought you would have done anything other than honor your oath as I consider you a man of honor.

ALBERT M. FORGET

tkearns,

Posted by: tkearns on Aug 01, 08 | 12:01 am

Please take note of the fact that I also served in the ship's company of 3 destroyers, a cruiser and an auxiliary ship (in addition to being deployed as a member of Oceanographic Detachment 3 embarked in a Military Sealift Command ship crewed by civilians.

My sea duty extends to just over 12 years.

Everytime I could in my normal rotation pattern, I chose to return to sea duty as a member of the crew rather than serving in an afloat staff--such as for an admiral in charge of a carrier air group.

And, incidentally, I never--not even once--requested a staff assignment.

Anyway, just though I would let you know that it was not my choice to serve with those flag officers and, in several instances, I served for an admiral and his two successors in the job.

During my assignment in Washington, DC, I made certain to send members of the personal staffs of several admirals to tours of duty at sea. Some of those individuals had never been aboard a navy ship and of the 6 or so I sent to sea duty, each of them thanked me.

If you are going to be a sailor you should be a sailor.

I have remarked on comments here about the difference between "specialists" and regular army men (and women) and I felt the same way about people in the navy.

I have little use for "specialists" as all too often they impressed me as being efete.

ALBERT M. FORGET

Posted by: richstacy on Jul 31, 08 | 3:25 pm

I would suspect you must be aware that Charles Krauthammer is one of those who worked on "The Project for the New American Century"--a neo-con of the first water--and that group (of course) championed American Empire and the invasion of Iraq.

He may be brilliant but, as is the case with other members of the PNAC, I cannot hold him in any regard at all.

You can, however, count on him to back anything that Dick Chaney, Don Rumsfeld and the rest of that infamous group might try to do.

ALBERT M. FORGET

Thanks shutter but you were talking about Rich and not me. I only worked for Regan as a lowly GS-14 at the DOE.In fact i took the job to beat his freeze on government hires as one of his first acts when he took office.
You rant is right on and it even occurs in press secretary's.

Yes Al, just as we can count on you to back anything that infamous group, Nancy Pelosi, Dingy Harry Reid, Chuckie Schumer, and Barack Hussein Obama might try to do.

By the way Al, do you agree with Barack that Ludacris is a great talent? Do you agree with Lud, that McCain should be in a wheel chair paralysed? And that we should turn the White House black? Sort of like God Damn America, right Al?

Ah, but what the heck Al, as Barack says of himself, using the pronoun 'we' in the royal sense, "We are the ones we've been waiting for." Modest little fella isn't he Al. And you have the guts to be critical of Charles Krauthammer a true intellectual, a man who IS paralysed and in a wheel chair, but whose writings are clear, concise, rational , logical, unambiguous and very difficult to argue with?

FreedomWarrior,

Posted by: FreedomWarrior on Aug 01, 08 | 1:02 pm

It is not the place of Bill O’Reilly to render judgments or to investigate, take before a grand jury, and try anybody.

The place for those things to occur is in the judicial system.

Yes, those things you cite are atrocious and heinous but all that Mr. O’Reilly does in connection with them is to sensationalize them. When he does so he possibly prejudices the pool of citizens from which a jury must be chosen to try those individuals.

And whether you, I or anybody else agrees with the outcomes of such cases is neither here nor there. In this nation under the rule of law the punishment is supposed to fit the crime and permanent incarceration is reserved for only the most serious offenses.

The Constitution, after all, has a little something to say about “cruel and unusual punishment”.

In some cases “Three-Strike” sentencing may be appropriate but laws permitting such sentences are rather new and, in some cases, the law has been inappropriately applied according to some in the justice system.

Yes, FreedomWarrior, the system sometimes fails us; but all the ranting and raving that Bill O’Reilly and others might do is of no avail. Their opinions are no more valid than are those of anybody else and no matter how much they might try to sensationalize things, the courts cannot—should not—consider what they have to say about any particular case.

That we are a nation under the rule of law has served us very well.

While it is true that the system sometimes fails in one way or another, the place for trials to occur is not in the media but in the courts.

I would hope that any person who violates the law will be appropriately subject to the law; if sufficient evidence exists to prosecute, I would hope prosecution would ensue; if a person is tried, I would hope that such trial is done with all the rights and immunities, the evidentiary rules, and the assumption of innocence until proven guilty that protects each of us from overzealous or even wrongful prosecution; and, if an individual is convicted, I would champion that the sentence be commensurate with the gravity of the crime of which the accused is convicted.

From time to time a guilty person will go free because of such “technicalities”; but it is far better that even 10 guilty men go free than that 1 innocent man be convicted.

It should be kept in mind that many innocent people have been put to death because of the passions of the populace. Sacco and Vanzetti come immediately to mind in that regard.

Bill O’Reilly and others of his ilk (and not a few blundits) are not entrusted by anybody to administer the law. Neither is Geraldo Rivera.

His heart may be in the right place but he serves neither as an enforcer of the law, prosecutor, jurist nor jailer—and if any such persons was to rely on what Mr. O’Reilly opines they would not be able to legitimately consider even one word of such bombast.

He is but an individual who has a platform from which he loudly proclaims his opinion.

And, FreedomWarrior, what public good is served by his sensationalism of heinous crimes?

ALBERT M. FORGET

You were pretty selective about Dr. Krauthhammer weren't you Al? He is a physiican who was paralysed in a diving accident in med school. He is a puliter prize winning sydicated columnist. prior to that he worked for Jimmy Carter
"In 1978, Krauthammer quit medical practice to direct planning in psychiatric research for the Jimmy Carter administration, and began contributing to The New Republic magazine. During the presidential campaign of 1980, Krauthammer served as a speech writer to Vice President Walter Mondale." But he's also the father of the 'Reagan doctrine.'

Some right wing nut, huh Al?

He has been called the most influencial commentator in America.

According to Wiki:
"Krauthammer is generally considered a conservative or neoconservative However, on domestic issues, Krauthammer is a supporter of legalized abortion; an opponent of the death penalty; an intelligent design critic and an advocate for the scientific consensus on evolution, calling the religion-science controversy a "false conflict;" a supporter of embryonic stem cell research (involving embryos discarded by fertility clinics); and a longtime advocate of radically higher energy taxes to induce conservation. Meg Greenfield, editorial page editor for The Washington Post who edited Krauthammer's columns for 15 years, called his weekly column "independent and hard to peg politically. It's a very tough column. There's no 'trendy' in it. You never know what is going to happen next."

That's why he's the most infueltial Al. He's one of the least partisan commentators there is.

unpoor and FreedomWarrior,

When a new president is inaugurated, all those who served in the previous administration--at the pleasure of the previous president--are on notice that they may be replaced. That is usually what happens.

Of course, in preparation for the possibility he or she may prevail in a general election and accede to the Presidency, candidates for that office should (as part of the transition process) determine who they wish to serve if inaugurated. The more attention they pay to that transition process the better for our citizens as governmental processes should continue as smoothly as possible and without interruption.

Just as Ronald Reagan selected professional and well qualified persons to serve on his "team" (including richstacy), so should every person who vies for that office.

It is the absolute right of each President to fire the political appointees of his or her predecessor.

That is exactly what George W. Bush, William J. Clinton, Ronald Reagan and virtually every other person who has occupied the office.

We as a nation are fortunate, indeed, that the professional staff (hopefully apolitical) of our governmental agencies are there to continue the day-to-day operations during one administration after another.

Talking about Clinton firing attorneys is disingenuous at best.

And to try to use those normal actions to justify the firing of Assistant Attorneys-General for political purposes is (in my opinion) nothing other than stupid.

richstacy has it exactly right.

ALBERT M. FORGET

So you see Al, Krauthammer is at least as much one of yours as he is one of ours. When HE notices that obama is an arrogant so and so, you'd better pay attention!!!

Posted by: richstacy on Aug 01, 08 | 1:52 pm

As well, Fish, there are not a few Americans who think that Ralph Nader gave us George W. Bush.

ALBERT M. FORGET

Posted by: FreedomWarrior on Aug 01, 08 | 2:10 pm

I recognized that it was not Duncan Hunter of whom you were writing.

When he was convicted in 1980 the court did not have it in its power to hand down a life sentence.

In my opinion, he should not have been granted bail in 2004--but, FreedomWarrior, I do not know what the Judge who permitted bail knew about the case or the previous history of this vile pedophile and murderer.

He has pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing on the federal charges brought against him. He may be sentenced to death.

California has also developed a case against him and may be able to extradite him for trial on other murder charges. If so, the California courts may also be able to hand down a death sentence.

And in it all the opinion of Bill O'Reilly should play absolutely no part.

ALBERT M. FORGET

Posted by: richstacy on Aug 01, 08 | 7:43 pm

I found the "opinions" expresed in the article interesting.

That said, that "Guest Commentary" is of no more value than is that of those retired military generals who offer countervailing positions.

ALBERT M. FORGET

BTW, Dr. Krauthhammer is a Psychiatrist, and as such, more than qualified to pass political as well as psychiatric judgments on all politicians, lol.

Posted by: Ridgeliner on Aug 01, 08 | 7:51 pm

I look on commentary as opinion and I value facts (straight news reporting) as of considerable more value than any opinion.

I make it a point to view CNN (but not HNN), FOX, and MSNBC so that I can consider various opinions.

I count on the same broadcast news organizations that have been there all my life (ABC, NBC and CBS) for reports on the news of the day.

I watch PBS that I might know more than just the highlights of stories.

I read two Seattle papers on line and the Centralia Chronical for more local information.

In my visit to your blog I concluded (rightly or wrongly) that your opinions closely matched those of a number of participants here. I did remark that there seemed to be no nastiness in your blog comments as there is often in this Weblog.

My opinion is mine and I have been know to agree with the opinions of others whos political persuasion is different from mine.

I will take it on myself to visit your blog from time to time--I do not out of hand reject the opinions of others but try to counter expressed views with the facts as I know and understand them.

I would hope you took no offense from my earlier posting.

ALBERT M. FORGET

Guess who I am....

Do
Re
Me, Me, Me, Me, Me, Me, Me, Me, Me, Me, Me, Me, Me, Me, Me, Me, Me, Me, Me, Me, Me, Me, Me, Me, Me, Me, Me, Me, Me, Me, Me, Me, Me, Me, Me, Me, Me, Me, Me, Me, Me, Me, Me, Me, Me, Me, Me, Me, Me, Me,

aFroggy2 in choir practice.

Al, your head is almost as inflated as your rock star candidate. You must be the only blogger we know who wore out the "I" key on your keyboard.

Posted by: richstacy on Jul 31, 08 | 3:25 pm

I would suspect you must be aware that Charles Krauthammer is one of those who worked on "The Project for the New American Century"--a neo-con of the first water--and that group (of course) championed American Empire and the invasion of Iraq.

He may be brilliant but, as is the case with other members of the PNAC, I cannot hold him in any regard at all.

You can, however, count on him to back anything that Dick Chaney, Don Rumsfeld and the rest of that infamous group might try to do.

ALBERT M. FORGET

Posted by: afroggy2 on Aug 01, 08 | 11:26 pm

richstacy,

Posted by: richstacy on Aug 02, 08 | 12:19 am

As regards Charles Krauthammer I but made note of his involvement in the PNAC. That involvement cannot be denied.

He is a neo-con (as the Wikipedia article to which you referred noted) and, as I admitted in my posting, he is considered brilliant.

It is also true that he has consistently supported every position taken by Dick Cheney (I apologize for having earlier misspelled his surname), by Rumsfeld and by the other neo-cons in the George W. Bush Administration.

I was generally aware of the service he has rendered to this country in governmental positions.

I accept that you agree with the “Reagan Doctrine” (though I was not aware that Krauthammer was known as its “Father”) and you may consider it valid in every regard. I did not and do not now agree with much of that “Doctrine” as, though I greatly respected President Reagan as an individual, I did not much care for many of those in his Administration. I would have preferred to see those who participated in Iran-Contra imprisoned and am of the opinion many of them committed perjury and violated their oaths to the Constitution.

Think about it, richstacy, the very same people who took us into Iraq were part of President Reagan’s Administration.

As I said, I respected Mr. Reagan but did not so respect those around him either then or now.

That Dr. Krauthammer supports legalized abortion is okay with me. The very idea of abortion is to me repugnant; but, as I would rather not have women dying in back alleys from botched (coathangar wire) abortions, I want it to be legal and available.

I am with him in opposing the death penalty for I believe that there is little if any deterrent effect which rises from application of the penalty and that there have been far to many cases in which (after an execution has been carried out) it was proved the individual slain in the name of the society was innocent.

I also agree with him as to the question of intelligent design.

I would hope that embryonic stem cell research should be forwarded that the scourge of injury and disease may be better confronted and that individuals now confined to wheelchairs (as is Dr. Krauthammer) may once again have mobility.

In those things and many others I agree with him.

I do not agree with him when it comes to anything having to do with the PNAC.

I was not, richstacy, at all selective in what I offered. I but stated that he is a neo-con and that because of that I do not hold him in as high regard as I might otherwise.

ALBERT M. FORGET

al, Standing up for your men is one thing, but letting an inexperienced junior grade officer ambush you not once, but many times ? I could not let that one pass...sorry, you slipped on a banana peel on that one.

Posted by: richstacy on Aug 02, 08 | 12:04 am

As previously noted, I do not like rap music and (from what I've heard about it) believe that I would particularly dislike "gangsta rap".

ALBERT M. FORGET

Ace,

Posted by: Ace on Aug 02, 08 | 1:02 am

BULLFROG!

Read into that exclamation whatever you wish and you will probably be correct.

ALBERT M. FORGET

Posted by: wintersoldier on Aug 02, 08 | 1:26 am

You are correct.

But they were learning experiences and did not prevent me from being at the top of the list for E-7, E-8 and E-9.

ALBERT M. FORGET

Afroggy2:

No offense whatsoever!

All of you might want to watch the recent interview on "Obama Nation". It is one of the most documented, open-sourced books in the political field I have read in recent years. I would say over 75% of the documentation can be sourced and tracked down on the Internet, which makes fact-checking easy at least.

http://ridgeliner7.wordpress.com/2008/08/02/obama-tell-all-book-a-must-read/

This is one of her best one's yet... everyone but the kool-aid drinkers will get a chuckle. : )

A BABY DADDY FOR BOTH AMERICAS
July 30, 2008


The mainstream media really seem to imagine they can prevent Americans from knowing information by refusing to mention it in newspapers or on TV.

For those few Americans without an Internet connection and to whom I have not faxed the National Enquirer stories: Evidence is accumulating that John Edwards is right -- there really are "two Americas." There's one where men cheat on their cancer-stricken wives and one where men do not cheat on their cancer-stricken wives.

To put it another way, it would appear that ambulances aren't the only things John Edwards has been chasing lately.

Last year, the National Enquirer broke the story about New-Age divorcee Rielle Hunter, formerly Lisa Druck, telling friends she was having an affair with Edwards and that she was pregnant with his "love child."

Who knew that "my father was a mill worker" could be such a great pickup line? In his defense, Edwards had to do something to kill time between giving $50,000 speeches on poverty.

I guess the Enquirer is lucky Edwards isn't a trial lawyer! A sleazy carnival sideshow trial lawyer wouldn't even need to start channeling unborn children before a jury -- as Edwards did in the junk-science cases that made him a multimillionaire -- to win a defamation case if these charges are false. The "love child" allegation could be easily disproved by DNA testing.

Which brings up a fascinating legal question: Would it be admissible for Edwards to channel the very love child at issue during such a proceeding? Reminiscent of his performances in medical malpractice cases, he could say: She speaks to you through me and I have to tell you right now -- I didn't plan to talk about this -- right now I feel her. I feel her presence. She's inside me, and she's talking to you, she's saying: "John Edwards ain't my daddy!"

When the National Enquirer story first broke last year, the Edwards campaign denied that Edwards was the father, pawning the affair off on an apparently very loyal Edwards campaign official, Andrew Young. Like Edwards, Young was married with children, but also like Edwards, Young is a Democrat, so it was possible.

Except that, not only has Young's wife not left him, but she was perfectly copacetic with her husband's mistress moving into their gated community for the duration of her pregnancy, and even joining her, Andrew and the kids for dinner.

Back on Earth, that doesn't happen. The Edwards campaign better start looking at its backup plan of claiming Nathan Lane is the father.

It also didn't smack of innocence that the Edwards campaign stripped Hunter's videos from the Edwards Web site when the story broke.

Soon after Edwards met Hunter in a bar in New York, the Edwards campaign began paying her more than $100,000 to make "hip" videos of him for the campaign Web site. Unfortunately, Edwards' hair stylists ate up most of the budget.

As Herculean a task as it would be to make John Edwards look hip, the videos can't be worse for the campaign than the Edwards staffer who said of the Catholic church's position on birth control: "What if Mary had taken Plan B after the Lord filled her with his hot, white, sticky Holy Spirit?" So why did they take down Hunter's videos?

With the MSM still pretending the Internet doesn't exist, last week the Enquirer staked out the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles after receiving a tip that Edwards would be going there to visit Hunter and the love child, who reportedly has her mother's eyes and her father's dramatic flair in front of a jury.

According to the Enquirer, Edwards entered Hunter's hotel room around 9:45 p.m. and left at 2:40 in the morning. Seeing reporters as he left Hunter's room, Edwards sprinted to a hotel bathroom and blockaded himself in until hotel security came to rescue him. Even more suspicious, while Edwards was barricaded in the bathroom, no one reported hearing sounds of a blow dryer.

When asked about the Enquirer story at a press conference a few days later, Edwards looked as flustered as Rep. Robert Wexler did after being asked if he really lives with his mother-in-law in Florida while running for office in that district.

First Edwards pretended to be unfamiliar with the story, a preposterous pose even if the story were false. Then Edwards dropped eye contact and said: "That's tabloid trash. They're full of lies. I'm here to talk about helping people." He couldn't have looked more guilty if he had broken into a cold sweat and lit a cigarette. Britney Spears has responded more credibly to questions about tabloid stories.

Meanwhile, the only way consumers of the old media might ascertain that Edwards is embroiled in some sort of scandal is that, starting last Thursday, his name was summarily dropped from lists of possible vice presidential candidates.

If only Republican Larry Craig had been in the bathroom, the MSM might have covered it.

COPYRIGHT 2008 ANN COULTER

"John Edwards is right -- there really are "two Americas." There's one where men cheat on their cancer-stricken wives and one where men do not cheat on their cancer-stricken wives."


HAHAHAHA!

Edwards is an absolute phony. Unfortunately, even B. Hussein Obama can see that, B. Cause. B. Hussein and B. Pretty would make a B. Utiful ticket!

As Libtards pretended Bill Clinton did nothing wrong by sodomizing a young paige. "Consenting adults" they call it, where an adult is anything out of a womb - premature or not.

Oh well, all's well that ends well with the liberal media. Never mind that their struggles are identical to the struggle Hitler had lying to his people as he led them to a defeat.

Liberal "news" may not be news at all, but it sure is politically correct for the corrupt.

Posted by: afroggy2 on Aug 02, 08 | 1:29 am

Wow... bullfrog posted something without using the word "I" or "me" 37 times.

This has to be a new high watermark for the uneducated bullfrog.

Unpoor, So I guess this means Edwards isn't a fag.... ???

How many column inches on Newt Gengrich being involved with another woman while his wife was in chemo?

How many column inches on the alleged affair McCain had?

How many column inches on Edward's affair?

Liberal Media bias? What media bias?

Exactly. :D

My response above was to Unpoor, about two America's.....

Now if we can get some good honest conservative republicans to work together and show what a sham the Demon-crats really are. Nancy on her don’t drill but do allow illegal aliens to work at her restaurant and vineyard would help kill their stupid agenda. Not to mention Harry and his statements about us loosing the war in Iraq is straight up treason. Someone needs to find out if he is really a Frenchman, where they have two options going to war and surrender. Obama who can’t say the surge worked, but wants us out so that we can have a third Iraq war.

Shoe: I think Ann was driving the stake in what the Enquirer planted, which was needed since the drive-by media was ignoring the story. The story was broken last fall, after which his campaign aide/fall guy took the fall for him, and the media dropped it.

Edwards was being touted as the Attorney General in a B'HO administration just a couple of days before the latest Enquirer story, so I think Ann was addressing a larger issue here by giving it more coverage.

With the way the drive-by media have been ignoring it, Edwards would have slithered away like he did last fall. I like to think Ann's column makes it harder for him to do that.

froggy: You're slipping in your doublespeak.

First you "cannot hold him( Dr. Krauthammer in any regard at all" and then you "do not hold him in as high regard as I might otherwise".

So, just how do you regard Dr. Krauthammer ? If he were not of the right wing political persuasion he would apparently be entitled to esteem of some sort. Since he is not of the liberal mentality is he then considered unworthy of credibility ?

BG. Notice that though al's dialogues are loooooooong, there are some others on this post that occupy a lot of space with aseries of snippets, one after the other as if they were seperate afterthoughts ?
Krauthammer used to be more prominent in the public arena...miss him.

Re the former commandant of the Marine Corps, Al says, "That said, that "Guest Commentary" is of no more value than is that of those retired military generals who offer countervailing positions."
ALBERT M. FORGET

It's the truth and logic that count Al NOT the opinion.

Truth: Obama opposed the surge and said it wouldn't work and would have the opposite effect from what was intended. HE WAS DEAD WRONG WASN'T HE AL??

McCain urged the surge, supported it and predicted the result, though it has succeeded beyond even his expectations. HE WAS ABSOLUTLY CORRECT WASN'T HE AL?

Now whose judgment do you trust to be your commander in Chief? The inexperienced kid who was dead wrong and now lacks even the courage or integrity to admit it? Or the seasoned old foreign policy, military hand who was right?

Boy Coulter got this one right! Edwards is a big time sleaze, and his liberal chums in the media are covering for him.

wintersoldier: Yes, so noted. Apparently some believe that bullets of opinion are more penetrating, however repetitive they might be. Froggy uses sustained fire believing that overkill is more protective.

I used to post with the essay type but most seemed to just wither on the blog, so to speak. More and more it just seems to be indiscriminate 'bait' to see who bites. Lately its gotten to be pretty much a free for all with little rhyme or reason. On the positive side, good sources of info pop up here and there, except, ye Gods, man, how much can a man read ? (or woman) ;^)

Krauthammer used to appear regularly in U.S. News and World Report but I don't see his commentary very often. He, along with John Leo, were two I really enjoyed.

If half of Americans who drive even had deflated tires filled them it would take 11,000 years to equal the additional oil that could be drilled.

Obama is an idiot when he is off the teleprompter.

Don't forget the "tune-up's" LMAO!

I guess his local dealer or garage has been cheating him, and he was paying for tune-ups in his Escalade?

BG, I agree wholeheartedly with your last post and like you, try not to be to verbose, but I, in doing so, sometimes miss the mark...oh well, got to keep trying :-)

Interesting trend reported by Rasmussen...when Democrats have won, their percentage of voters increases, and when they have lost, it goes down. Sort of a bellwether of election results. Seems The Chosen One is being abandoned.....

*During July, the number of Americans who consider themselves to be Democrats fell two percentage points to 39.2%. That’s the first time since January that the number of Democrats has fallen below 41%. The Dems now have a 7.6% advantage over the Republicans, down from a 9.5% advantage in June and 10.1% in May.

*Rasmussen Reports tracks this information based upon telephone interviews with approximately 15,000 adults per month and has been doing so since November 2002.

*Among men, 34% are Democrats, 33% Republican. Forty-four percent (44%) of women are Democrats, and just 30% claim the GOP as their party.

*Forty-one percent (41%) of government employees are Democrats while 31% are Republicans. Among entrepreneurs, 36% are Republican, 34% Democrat. Those who work for someone else in the private sector lean Democratic by a 38% to 31% margin.

*In January and February, while Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were in the early stages of the battle for the Democratic Presidential Nomination, the number of Americans who considered themselves to be Democrats surged to record highs. As soon as Senator Clinton was considered eliminated from the race, voters began switching their party loyalty.

*In 2004, the Democrats began the year with a 2.3 percentage point edge over the GOP. That grew to 4.0 points by March before moving in the Republican direction for the rest of the year. By Election Day in 2004, the edge for Democrats was a mere 1.6 percentage points as John Kerry took the party down to defeat.

*In 2006, the Democrats began the year with just a 1.6 percentage point advantage. That grew to 6.1 percentage points by November when the Democrats once again took firm control of the House and Senate.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/mood_of_america/party_affiliation/partisan_trends

Pelosi Book is a flop... http://www.amazon.com/Know-Your-Power-A ... 0385525869

As posted on Drudge. Pelosi's book is not selling. The best part is the comments at amazon.com.

tags and keywords LOL:

waste of a tree (17)
horse manure (15)
communist (12)
boring (11) expensive toilet paper (10)
nancy pelosi (5)
hypocrisy (2)
hypocrite (2) life lessons (2)
pelosi (2)
democrat (1)
› See all 38 tags...

The only debate seems to be if this book is boring, or expensive t.p.

BG, I agree wholeheartedly with your last post and like you, try not to be to verbose, but I, in doing so, sometimes miss the mark...oh well, got to keep trying :-)



Posted by: wintersoldier on Aug 02, 08 | 1:14 pm

You both are right as is unpoor who I believe has mentioned in the past. If you want it read by the public, keep it to about 25 words. Same goes with emails and business letters.

If I wanted to know Nancy Pelosi's life story, I'd go buy a proctology manual.


I tried calling into her office and her voice mail is full. Everyone needs to keep trying.

COPYRIGHT 2008 ANN COULTER Posted by: unpoor on Aug 02, 08 | 8:22 am

With the facist media keeping the lid on this story, my guess is that we won't be hearing anything from Lizzie on how John is such a caring, morally righteous and religious man, who cares deeply for the poor, the downtrodden and especially the "children." All the usual BS that the libs glop onto their fallen hero's. This sack of crap is an ambulance chasing trial lawyer, one step below a child molester in my book. Is anyone surprised?

Pelosi is in an extremely safe congressional district. She is taking the heat for the dems on this issue, allowing her colleagues to dodge this issue because "the speaker is stopping it from coming to a vote." My prediction is that all of this drilling will start after Obama is in the White House and the dems decide to "fix" the energy problem.

Exactly right, Sir Loin, except for the "Chosen One" comment. I highly doubt he will get elected.

If you doubt my conclusion, see the election results/campaigns for the past elections where the Democrats nominated an all-out liberal. Clinton doesn't count because he was more a Dixiecrat than Democrat.

On the John Edwards gossip would it be at all appropriate to note that we do have (in relatively recent political history) a case in which an individual presented divorce papers to his wife while she was in a hospital being treated for cancer. He did that haver having carried on an affair for some time with the woman. She became his second spouse and has since been cast aside for a third.

Can anybody say the name Newt Gingrich?

ALBERT M. FORGET

Posted by: unpoor on Aug 02, 08 | 8:31 am

Please be aware that Ms. Lewinski was not a paige (sic), had never served as a page, and was an adult (over the age of 21) when by her own words she went to Washington to get her "Presidential Knee Pads".

In regards to all the allegations surfaced in the Lewinski affair, the word sodomy was not used. That word has a specific meaning, afterall.

It is known that Ms. Lewinski performed fellation on Bill Clinton and that she was not coerced in any way to render those ministrations.

ALBERT M. FORGET

Posted by: wintersoldier on Aug 02, 08 | 1:26 am

Incidentally, wintersoldier, when a person is an E-6 and 20 such mistakes can be made. With more maturity and experience it was possible to avoid the pitfalls and stand up against martinets the better.

ALBERT M. FORGET

al, I beg to differ, unless the Navy is more lenient than the Army, which seems to be the case...one article 15 (the equivalent to your Captain's mast) may be forgiven, but not repeated ones at any rank ( I note you refer to pay grade as opposed to rank, which is your perogative, but professionals in any service know what the rank structures of any service are).....Seniors and supergrades in the service I was in, mentor their subordinates and ensure that "martinets" do not run rampant over the troops...that's thier job, to mentor, advise commanders, as you have so oftenly stated and E6's as you put it, should not be and are not as vulnerable to junior officers as you portray...you hit a nerve and frankly, my equal in rank, I'm not buying it.

Ridgeliner,

Posted by: Ridgeliner on Aug 02, 08 | 3:39 am

The two clips offered were aired on Hannity & Colmes and were watched by me in their entirety as they were broadcast.

Earlier Corsi was involved in and responsible for "The Swift Boat Veterans for Truth". At best, what was that organization did was to lie.

That subject has been discussed at great length in the weblog and though it is tempting to find my earlier comments on the subject and cut and paste them here, those who believe what the SBVT put out would not change their political point of view.

It should, however, be known that neither Mr. Corsi or the other SVBT crowd ever served with John Kerry on the same boat or was immediately present in the actions for which medals were awarded to Kerry. Most of that crowd were not even concurrently in country.

When calling into question whether the medals were disserved, the SVBT questioned the honor and integrity of those who authorized the awards.

While not questioning whatever honorable service those individuals may have rendered, it is my opinion they shamed themselves by their entirely-politically-motivated actions.

Because of that track record, I consider Corsi to be nothing other than a political operative--an operative fawned over by Hannity--and therefore consider his offerings highly suspect.

He offers nothing but his prejudiced point of view.

The above remarks are but the opinions of

ALBERT M. FORGET

Posted by: Ridgeliner on Aug 02, 08 | 3:09 pm

I hope you are right. We do not need a second Carter term.

Posted by: afroggy2 on Aug 02, 08 | 3:45 pm


...and you would excuse a rapist as only being over eager if he was a liberal.

You are nothing less than a hack.

Posted by: afroggy2 on Aug 02, 08 | 3:33 pm

The real story is the MSM putting a gag order on its' bloggers, et al. Arrogance, is the best way to describe it. My wife keeps saying what she doesn't like about Obama is his arrogance. Maybe arrogance is a STD.

richstacy,

Posted by: richstacy on Aug 02, 08 | 12:36 pm

When very senior retired officers offer political opinions (no matter whether the opinion offered is supportive of conservative, liberal or any other political point of view) their remarks may be looked at as nothing but “truthism”.

Truthism amounts to a lie (or even a wrong characterization of facts) told by a politician (or others when comments are offered supportive of political positions) which is “not really a lie” because in the depths of their souls they pretend what they say is true.

No matter ho many times an opinion is repeated it remains but an opinion.

And no matter how many times a politician or partisan may reiterate an opinion, if it is at all based on an underlying lie, misinterpretation of facts, or but conjecture, it may become “truthism” but will never be the “truth”

Please take note that no suggestion was made that opinions offered by flag officers who differ with those of the former commandant are any the more valid than are his.

Each of us is free to consider the opinions of others in determining which position(s) we might or might not support.

Reliance on facts rather than opinion is (in my opinion) to be preferred.

ALBERT M. FORGET

Posted by: Sir Loin on Aug 02, 08 | 4:21 pm

To which "rapist" is reference being made by you?

ALBERT M. FORGET

Afroggy2, you had me up until the nasty tit-for-tat. Do you honestly believe making such a remark, somehow justifies what Edwards did?

I would submit it is anti-intellectual.

BobbyGee,

Posted by: BobbyGee on Aug 02, 08 | 9:52 am

Somehow Marc Anthony's reputed remarks at Caesar's funeral come to mind.

You will remember that Shakespeare has him noting that "the evil men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones".

There is no doubt that Dr. Krauthammer should be accorded respect for his achievements.

Some may be on board with him as to certain positions he takes.

Others may not at all be supportive of policies he has espoused and expounded upon such as those involved in the PNAC.

It is the positions he has taken and continues to support relative to the PNAC which cause me to not regard him so highly as might otherwise be the case.

It may well be that the good he may have done is overshadowed (in my mind and the minds of many others) by the "evil" they consider the PNAC to be.

So be it.

ALBERT M. FORGET

wintersoldier,

Posted by: wintersoldier on Aug 02, 08 | 4:14 pm

And yet it happened. Punishment was meted out but twice and for minor offenses. On the other 4 occasions the CO dismissed the charges.

During my first enlistment I was taken to mast and punished with extra duty and restriction to the ship.

After reenlisting and while serving in USS HENRY W. TUCKER (DDR-875) 12 petty officers first class were reduced in grade during one month with me among them.

When the paperwork effecting the reduction in grade was signed by the Commanding Officer, I informed him that because of the reduction an immediate transfer had been requested and approved. As well, he was informed that it would be at least 8 months (or longer) before a replacement would be provided.

When he asked how such a thing could happen I showed him the pertinent regulations.

He asked if there was anything he could do to stop the transfer I suggested he could rescind the punishment and refuse to support the junior officer. He realized that he had painted himself into a corner and shook my hand before I left his quarters.

It took longer to advance to petty officer first class the second time than it took to go all the way from recruit to PO1 the first time around.

Seemingly whatever good I might have done far outweighed the Article 15's as for both senior chief and master chief promotions I was at the top of the list.

Had my infractions been major that might not have been the case but they were early on and were not repeated.

In the Wikipedia article on John McCain it is noted that “McCain came into conflict with higher-ranking personnel. He did not always obey the rules, and this contributed to a low class rank (894 of 899) that he did not aim to improve. McCain did well in academic subjects that interested him, such as literature and history, but studied only enough to pass subjects he disliked, such as math.

It is also known that he was involved in two crashes before being shot down over Vietnam.

He went on to be promoted to captain (colonel in the other services) and it is known that had he remained on active duty he would have been promoted to rear admiral; but, because of his lack of experience in command it was doubtful he would be further promoted.

Incidentally, wintersoldier, it is because so many who serve in our various armed forces do not necessarily know and can easily equate the terms used in the Navy with those of the other armed forces that I use pay-grade references. For example, everybody knows that a major general is senior to a brigadier general but not so many people are aware that a rear admiral may be either a rear admiral (lower half—sometimes referred to as a commodore) or a rear-admiral (upper half). In the other armed forces the term lieutenant has a different meaning that it does in the navy; and, of course, as everybody knows, a navy captain would be quite senior to one in the other services.

If we met as strangers both in our dress uniforms we would probably check out the rank insignia, qualification devices and awards and decorations and each hold immediate respect for the other on the basis of the achievements connoted by such things.

You know that an army sergeant first class, an air force master sergeant/first sergeant, a marine corps gunnery sergeant and a navy chief petty officer all serve in paygrade E-7. Others may not.

Anyway, wintersoldier, no disrespect towards anybody is intended by my use of paygrade nomenclature.

ALBERT M. FORGET

al, I find it interesting that both the PNAC and Pres Clinton used the words "New World Order" my question is...who's New World ?
Evil, IMHO, being the absence of good...who makes that determination in the overall scheme of things ?
Possibly, I'm leaving the door open to long dissertations which dance around the questions I asked, but to me, the answer to my hypotheticals is simple...as long as we, the citizens don't pay attention, we will pay in loss of freedoms, the pursuit of happiness and overall well being.

Ridgeliner,

Posted by: Ridgeliner on Aug 02, 08 | 4:41 pm

Notwithstanding Ann Coulter's remarks and whatever may have been printed in the tabloids, what John Edwards has or has not done has not been proved one way or the other.

The snickering allegations are of no more concern to me than have been those bandied about anent other politications.

It is only when partisans surface such things that I consider it appropriate to suggest (even by citing specific cases as when I mentioned Newt Gingrich) to suggest a double standard might be being used.

John Edwards may or may not have done the things alleged. You may or may not transgressed in those same areas during your life.

In either case, I would doubt such things would have any effect at all on the good either you or John Edwards may have done.

What goes on behind closed doors (in my opinion) should not be of concern to others.

Could it be that some take pleasure in finding things on which to carp relative to others because of their own hidden failings?

ALBERT M. FORGET

Well, all I saw was you responding by throwing dirt on another, tit-for-tat. That neither spoke to the post you were responding to, nor did it expunge Edward's actions. Right?

And once again, you drag Coulter into the pit, for what reason? Two wrongs make one right? What's good for the goose is good for the gander?

I respectfully say to you, and anyone else engaging in tit-for-tat responses, it is anti-intellectual.

As for Edwards, it has indeed been confirmed by the media, the source being the hotel's security officer, that it was Edwards. That said, it has no place here, unless it was Edwards posting, and his ethics or lack of them important to the conversation. I do not hold with posting such personal tid-bits unless relevant. If and when Edwards is nominated for some position of trust, only then would his personal morality be subject to public exposure, IMO.

P. S.:

The expression "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone" comes to mind.

And there was no intention to suggest that the actions of Newt Gingrich would in any way excuse what John Edwards may or may not have done.

When I entered this world Franklin Roosevelt was the President. It is known he had a long-time affair.

Truman was pretty much in thrall to his wife even though his mother-in-law was seemingly not well liked by him.

Eisenhower had an affair--and possibly more than one--and still served us well.

Kennedy, it is known, was a womanizer.

Johnson, too, apparently had large appetites.

Nixon must have kept it in his trousers but it would not be approrpiate to suggest that had he not things might have been different.

Ford seems to have loved Betty very much and sofar as I know he was faithful to his marriage vows.

Carter apparently has been faithful to Rosalynn.

Reagan is known to have been a womanizer and to have romanced Nancy while still married to his first wife.

George H. W. Bush apparently has no "stain" connected to him as regards trysts with other women.

Clinton did what he did and will forever be known as the guy who left a stain on an intern''s dress.

There are allegations out there that George W. Bush was quite the roue/playboy during his earlier years. There are even rumors that the had an affair after marrying Laura and some tabloids report that Laura may divorce him over alleged trysts with Condoleeza Rice.

All such things may be quite tittilating but do they really diminish the ability of the individual to carry out their oaths of office?

ALBERT M. FORGET

Heh,heh, The upper brain is more rational..the lower one is what gets one in trouble....

Now that gas prices have hit notable highs here in Montana, I read where there is concern that gas pump measuring devices may not be as accurate as believed. The state Bureau of Weights and Measures is being asked to investigate. Very minute calibrations not providing the customer (or the vendor) with accurate quantities of fuel can add up to big $.

Anyone think it could be a problem elsewhere ? Think of the lucrative opportunity for collusion and fraud between those who set the measure and those who receive payment for fuel.

Wow, Froggy, you have only gotten damn good with age, introducing yet more smut, in some deep-need to justify the immorality of those you agree with by repeating the supposed transgressions of others you do not.

Nixon would be so very proud of you!

I will have no further interaction with you, because you are obviously un-armed from an intellectual stand point, because of your only response to those you dislike is to smear them, Enquirer-like.

I can't say I am surprised.

BobbyGee,

Yes, the story has been all over the news some weeks ago. Has to do with tank temp, and when it was put into the tanks. Delivery trucks compensate in their meters for temp, and all of that. In the old days, it wasn't deemed all that important to have the same compensation for consumer dispensing at .49 cents per gallon. Now that we are at $4.00, it is.

I am sure you can find stories about this by using Google, as I searched for more on the topic back a month or two ago.

Ridgeliner,

Precisely how did I drag Ms. Coulter into some pit or another?

Expunge means to erase, strike out, or eradicate something. How do you reach the conclusion that was the intent of the my remarks?

If—that conditional word is appropriate to use—if John Edwards did what it is alleged he did it should be of no concern save to his wife and family.

If so much is made of those allegations for political purposes—which is seemingly the case—I consider it appropriate to surface the factually-proven circumstances of political lights supported by Ms. Coulter and others. No attempt was made to suggest John Edwards may not be guilty or even to mitigate the allegations against him. The remarks were offered solely to illustrate that similar actions by others seem (for political reasons) not to have been deserving of so much condemnation.

In the past year Mr. Gingrich, Mr. Giuliani and John McCain vied for the Republican nomination. Had Ms. Coulter surfaced their marital infidelities, I would have looked on her having done so with equal disdain.

If marital infidelity is to be considered as being determinative of ethics or lack or lack of them (with ethical behavior being a nebulous term which differs from group to group and from society to society though there are certain “norms” present in most such demographics), or as disqualification for public office, the same standards should apply as to every person.

That seems to not be the case when a tabloid prints a titillating article and a political pundit (which is precisely what Ms. Coulter is) expounds on it and completely ignores similar actions by others.

As you note, Ridgeliner, what is good for the goose should be good for the gander.

ALBERT M. FORGET

he did it should be of no concern save to his wife and family.

...

again this is coming from a guy who gives serial rapist Clinton a pass...

Frog, you are such a cheap democrat hack...

Ridgeliner,

What, Ridgeliner, is not factual in my post of Aug 02, 08 | 6:10 pm?

How does anything therein serve to smear the individuals mentioned?

In what way was preferential treatment given to one of those Presidents (as regards personal sexual peccadilloes) over another.

They all did what they did and those actions (or lack of such actions) was not determinative of their abilities to carry out the duties of the office they occupied.

The one exception might be Bill Clinton who may have been somewhat hamstrung because of the political brouhaha which surfaced about the Lewinski affair—a "smear" campaign participated in by Ms. Coulter—but, even then, his Presidency was not unsuccessful.

If what Mr. Edwards is alleged to have done is to be considered “immoral”, should not similar actions by others be judged by the same standard?

And, yet, I cannot remember having used that word (the word “immoral” to refer to anybody.

ALBERT M. FORGET

Hey, Sir Lion, aka AmbyR.

Who you posting as today?

Disgusting frauds!

Great idea here, and some surprising GWB facts as well: http://ridgeliner7.wordpress.com/guest-columns/

Sir Loin,

In what way was Clinton a serial rapist?

The term "rape" has specific connotations including the use of force or coercion.

Being on the receiving end of fellatio willingly performed on one by another adult—that term (adult) also has specific meaning and in matters sexual is often referred to as having achieved the age of consent—is not rape.

Had rape occurred Republicans would have jumped all over it.

As it was all they could drum up were charges relating to having lied (albeit under oath) to deny (cover up) having succumbed to his sexual desires and having urged others to cooperate in that regard.

Though he was indicted (impeached by the House of Representatives), the trial which ensued did not convict him.

All discussions about Clinton in that regard seem to me nothing other than sour grapes.

The above is offered with all due respect.

ALBERT M. FORGET

An Internet troll, or simply troll in Internet slang, is someone who posts controversial and usually irrelevant or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum or chat room, with the intention of baiting other users into an emotional response or to generally disrupt normal on-topic discussion.

Experienced participants in online forums know that the most effective way to discourage a troll is usually to ignore him or her, because responding tends to encourage trolls to continue disruptive posts — hence the often-seen warning: "Please do not feed the trolls".[10]

Frequently, someone who has been labelled a troll by a group may seek to redeem their reputation by discrediting their opponents, for example by claiming that other members of the group are closed-minded, conspirators, or trolls themselves.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_(Internet)

The term "troll" can mean a number of different things, but in essence, a troll is a person who aims to have 'pleasure' at your expense. There are two main types of trolls:

1. people who have the psychological need to feel good by making others feel bad.

This is a sort of "psycho troll", whose deception involves deceiving themselves as well as others. Such people may use their real names on the internet, and they may not even realise that they are "trolling" because it is all subconscious.

2.

people who pretend to be someone that they are not - they create personae that you think are real, but they know is fictitious.

There are four types of these trolls:

Playtime Trolls: an individual plays a simple, short game. Such trolls are relatively easy to spot because their attack or provocation is fairly blatant, and the persona is fairly two-dimensional.

Tactical Trolls: This is where the troller takes the game more seriously, creates a credible persona to gain confidence of others, and provokes strife in a subtle and invidious way.

Strategic Trolls: A very serious form of game, involving the production of an overall strategy that can take months or years to develop. It can also involve a number of people acting together in order to invade a list.

Domination Trolls: This is where the trollers' strategy extends to the creation and running of apparently bona-fide mailing lists.

Dealing with Trolls

Here are some ideas to help avoid being deceived by trolls:

* Before you invest your trust in someone - either emotional or financial trust - you should verify their bona fide nature from multiple known, reliable and independent sources.

* ignore postings that you think are suspicious.

* beware of off-list emails that praise and flatter, or seem to evoke sympathy. If you feel yourself beginning to like someone, ask first: how much do I know about them from real life sources?

* if you do get involved with anyone via the internet, seek out verifiable data. Real people will provide information about themselves that is open-ended and leads to a myriad of sources which enable you to verify their genuine status.

* if you are concerned by email list/group postings, write to the listmaster about it.

* listmasters can also make their lists restricted, and conduct a security analysis of each list application before allowing them to subscribe. This is probably easier to do in areas that have professional associations or qualifications.

We have more detailed information on our page on troll tactics. This page provides more information to help you recognize the different types, and tactics you can use to avoid the problems they create.

http://www.teamtechnology.co.uk/troll.htm

Please note the following AmbyR/Sir Loin exchange.

Read it carefully.

Everyone on this blog read it carefully.

Ask yourselves why either persona is still posting!

----------------

I'm talking on the phone to an operater thats taking a Survey for CBS and Katie Curric.

How far right can I take this. hehehehehe

Posted by: Sir Loin on Apr 24, 07 | 3:02 pm


Did they hang up on you yet? No? Then you're not doing it right!

Posted by: AmbyR on Apr 24, 07 | 3:03 pm

no but the operator is getting mad at my answers.

Posted by: AmbyR on Apr 24, 07 | 3:04 pm

Nice of you, AmbyR, to answer for Sir Loin.

Posted by: paul on Apr 24, 07 | 3:07 pm


they hung up. my call was from the state democrat party for the upcoming elections.

Posted by: AmbyR on Apr 24, 07 | 3:07 pm

I have gotten a call from them yesterday too. I'll give a full report after i get back from the dentist. I'm late! SHIIITE

Posted by: Sir Loin on Apr 24, 07 | 3:10 pm

Sirloin, Everyday in the afternoon it seems we get a call lately. I try to keep them on for as long as I can.

Ridgeliner,

Thanks for calling attention to the David S. Broder column and the opinions noted therein by Bradley H. Patterson.

The first “Air Force One” was certainly not the command center it is today and few would argue that the improvements made over the year were not needed.

That President George W. Bush has overseen the improvements (no matter how costly they might have been) is a good thing.

The original West Wing was constructed under the aegis of Theodore Roosevelt, was remodeled by President Taft and, after being seriously damaged by fire during the Hoover years, was rebuilt by President Franklin Roosevelt.

Over the years many changes and improvements have been made to the structure to incorporate newer technologies and future technologies will undoubtedly require further modifications.

As the size of the White House staff increased, more space was needed and certain functions were moved from the West Wing into the Eisenhower Executive Office Building which had earlier housed offices of the State Department, the War Department and the Department of the Navy.

The War Department, of course, is now the Department of Defense housed in the Pentagon, The State Department has its own facilities, and the Navy Department is, of course, a part of the DOD.

George W. Bush has done a great service in providing upgrades to the building. It was built in the latter years of the 19th Century and will probably need even more tender-loving care as time goes on.

There apparently a number of proposals for modernizing the entire building but, thus far, none are on track to be implemented.

Maybe the fire which destroyed part of the Vice President’s Suite last December will serve as an incentive to modernize and upgrade the entire building while keeping intact the historic parts of it.

If Truman could gut and rebuild the White House, maybe somebody should do the same for the Old State Department/War Department/Navy Department/Eisenhower Executive Office Building.

ALBERT M. FORGET

al, to belabor the point, the aservice you were in was more lenient...1 article 15, with its encumbent punishments, was basically painless...the second offense was 30 days confinment in the post or theater stockade, third offense was 6 months in the stockade and possible discharge from the Army...missing bedcheck, violation of curfew, evasive and unequivocal statements, the list goes on and on...when the stockades located on most major posts were shut down, non judicial punishment had more severe consequences, possibly the Navy played by different rules...but having as I previously stated been the record holder for a while in Joint assignments which encompassed all services and some civilian departments, I observed different disciplines than the one you experienced.

Obama is going on again how he looks different from previous Presidents...

I don't know about that but he certainly reminds me of something.

Obama looks exactly like the next presumptive liberal loser... he reminds me of both Kerry and Ducaca. Obama will be never be a has been.. he will become a never be... ( you actually have to accomplish something to be a has been.)

Posted by: afroggy2 on Aug 02, 08 | 7:56 pm

Bullfrog: Now you are taking scarcity of words to the extreme... LOL

Oh come on Al, the point is not what Edwards did or did not do, at least as far as I'm concerned. It's the obvious double standard of the MSM in failing to cover it with the zeal they reserve for Republican miscreants! Some obscure Idaho Senator gets caught playing footsie in the men's room (sort of) and it's on every TV channel and leads every news story for a week. Edwards is a former VP nominee and a very recent presidential candidate and one of Obama's major supporters and he gets caught with a mistress and possibly a love child, and the MSM throw a net of secrecy over it!! You wouldn't know about it at all if it wasn't for the Internet. It is that double standard that's disgusting beyond words. Beyond disgusting it's terrifying!!

AL: Is it true that you are on Obama's short list to be vice president?


If asked will you serve?



Most action here on a sat for a long time.

Ridge: Who are the trolls here at the present time and what class do they fall into? Just want to check my understanding of the definitions.

This will ultimately be a true statement....

If B'HO wins the election conservatives will be to blame. If John McCain wins and has a miserable presidency conservatives will be to blame

If a 3rd party candidate runs conservatives will be to blame.

There will only be one group to blame regardless of the malady, perceived or real. You guessed it conservatives. By default I will be blamed for a BHO victory...kind of leaves me open to vote for who I want to....cause in the end...I/we get the blame in 2008.

Posted by: richstacy on Aug 03, 08 | 12:21 am

Agreed!

TK: remember nutman... he was a troll.

... and those people who posted that porn stuff a while back. Well I guess those guys are spammers.

TK--I so agree. But remember, if McCain wins, the radical left has a winning plan....the same one they have used on GWB. My gut tells me they won't be near as "nice" to McCain.....that said, I am pretty confident they will (as they always have, as nutters on either side always do) over-play their hand and face a massive backlash in the 2010 mid terms.

As to trolls, I think you can do as well or better than me, identifying who is or is not engaged in that sort of activity here, since I sense you have been around a while, and most certainly longer than me, lol. I just was providing a "public service" by making a timely post of those warning signs. ;-)

In the past trolls have been discovered on here called out and have disappeared. Given the expanded definitions that Ridge provided i am beginning to expect Al. Certainly Perry and Babia were/are trolls. I hope they are constructs because i hope that they are not real and teaching our kids.

tk: froggy cannot possibly be a troll. No one has that much patience and perseverance.

Posted by: BobbyGee on Aug 03, 08 | 9:33 am

With Regard to Bullfrog, I was thinking more a a very short person, big nose, couple of warts and lives under a bridge. LOL

I just heard on the news today and I will need to look up for more detail that some liberal proposed the Gov't to purchase ipods for black kids so they would study... has anyone suggested studying hard, getting good jobs and buying their own ipods? What is with the black community that they can only do anything if productive for society or themselves if they are compensated by the taxpayers?

What ever happened to improving yourselves and lifting the ones around you?

Do you believe that "some Liberal" speaks for the Black community when it comes to iPods ? I gather you agree with Oprah when she says basically the same thing...should give you a feel good, but most of us black folk aren't buying into it.
I do however, agree wholeheartedly with your last line.

TK, Al is not a troll, he is just an opinionated old liberal, who is somewhat stuck on himself. a very good example of today's Democrat.

John, weve got nearly 500 posts now on this thread. How about a new topic?

Well, while "someONE" person might not speak for all Blacks, Hispanics, Whites, that does remind me of a story......

Christmas came, and Johnny came downstairs, and under the tree was a bright, shiny new bike. Johnny's eyes lit up, they were as wide as a saucer. "Daddy! Mommy! I didn't know I wanted a new bike! But I do, I do!!"

That story is illustrative of government programs. Most people never knew, had any idea they NEEDED this program or that until they were told they did.......

Credit that story to the Great Communicator.

[what public good is served by his sensationalism of heinous crimes?]

CHANGE! Change of laws, change of politicians, pursuit of "JUSTICE"! What should we do with these outrageous cases, just ignore them? HOPE next time we do better? Say "that is so sad....but oh well, it wasn't my child/family"?

You even needing to ask that question certainly makes me question your ability to grasp real life, other than your own.

You are obviously entitled to your opinion, but you are in the minority & in agreement with many on the far left.

We need people like Bill O'Reilly to "sensationalize" these cases so the entire country is aware, not just burying them on page 13 & I bet you $1 the families of the victims agree 110% - I seen many of them on the Factor thanking Bill personally.

VIVA LA O'REILLY - keep up the good work & the pressure on the bad guys!

where is the "PROOF" that these attorneys were fired for political reasons, other than your "opinion" al?

NOTE:

Insofar as I have been able to research, the President doesn't need a reason to fire a United States Attorney.

While it would be unlawful to remove one to subvert an investigation, he doesn't need a reason to fire any of them. That has been strategically overlooked in the continuing media war on this issue.

[....Even more suspicious, while Edwards was barricaded in the bathroom, no one reported hearing sounds of a blow dryer.] - LMAO!!!!!!!

FW: that was one of my favorite lines too...LOL

She is a really sharp & witty writer - I always crack up when I read her.

Posted by: wintersoldier on Aug 03, 08 | 11:41 am


I was looking for the name... it was some black female liberal community organizer... not unlike Obama, half black, clueless and would not be where they are today without affirmative action program.

Posted by: FreedomWarrior on Aug 03, 08 | 3:59 pm


When as many liberals get as mad her as they do, you know she is cutting to the bone. If we could only find a real conservative Republican candidate with her wit and backbone.

It would be throwing money down a rat hole, I am afraid, but wouldn't it be fun to watch Coulter running for office? :-P

unpoor, How about flipping the script and calling Obama half white...wouldn't that make you feel better, my fellow citizen ?
Affirmative action is a way of leveling the playing field for some, though I was never a recipient of it.

BTW, unpoor, you tend to do a lot of generalizing and provide very few specifics...you wouldn't be "flaming this blog, would you ?

NEWS ITEM: http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/08/nomination-his.html

How cheated and insulted women must feel, Hillary Clinton must feel!

Clinton stuck to the DNC rules, and had it turned back on her by Obama....he called her a monster, trying to disenfranchise Michigan and Florida delegates, when all she was doing was going by the rules Obama originally agreed to.

Once he assassinated her character, and forced her out, he makes a big deal over allowing them to finally be seated. Just another big public show to humiliate Clinton more, while re-writing history again.

As Brit Hume once said: "Obama started the year by selling hope, but now he’s selling audacity".

<<NOTE:

Insofar as I have been able to research, the President doesn't need a reason to fire a United States Attorney.

While it would be unlawful to remove one to subvert an investigation, he doesn't need a reason to fire any of them. That has been strategically overlooked in the continuing media war on this issue.

Posted by: Ridgeliner on Aug 03, 08 | 3:11 pm>>

You are of course right Ridge, but that is not to say there are not consequences for using poor judgement in firing U.S. Attorneys for refusing to do political prosecutions or for refusing to call off prosecutions against those deemed good ole boys of your political persuasion. Bush has paid a huge political price for the stupidity of underlings.

As I have said before the nation's former US Attorneys, virtually all of us, of both parties have condemned these firings. You either have fair, unbiased, independent justice -- free of partisan political control, or you don't. I do not want to live in a country where criminal prosecution is controlled and determined by political hacks or where prosecutions are authorized or declined for partisan political reasons and I don't think you do either.

Also Bush said he did NOT fire the 8 USAs in question, nor did he authorize it. the AG denied it too. No one else, certainly no lowly bureaucrat political hack in main justice, has the right or authority to do it. No one!!

USAs are appointed by the president and are confirmed by the senate. Through that process we gain a degree of immunity from political tampering in the justice process. It can't work any other way.

I was NEVER interfered with in any respect!!! It's appalling and inexcusable. and that's the unanimous opinion of all us exes!! From both parties.

oh yeah, house update... we sold ours its final and the sold sign went up in the yard this AM. We need to be out the 20th... The new house is being inspected Tuesday.

For such a bad market we sold ours in 22 days at 95% of asking price.. the house we want is $195K below peak price a couple years ago.

Theirs was on the market for about 90 days. We were the first to make an offer. Can't wait until the inspection come in.. hopefully it's clean...

What a freaking roller coaster.

I'm Prec chair here... does this mean I'll be like that one dirty Congressman in Fl? I will be living in a different political unit and I chairing another... I wonder if that is OK? I am moving before the election.

Oh well, not going to worry about it now.

Back to packing... wife gave me wall pictures to wrap. (got the signed Reagan and Nixon pictures wrapped) Now onto the others. Yuck....

Posted by: wintersoldier on Aug 03, 08 | 4:41 pm

Sorry about the vagueness... I tried to google the story... it didn't come up as clean as they usually do... don't have the time right now but will keep looking. I am sure if you listen to Fox radio you will hear it.

As far as flaming... I give links to 99% of the stuff I find... More than any of you guys.

Rich, remember what they say Truman had on his desk? "The Buck Stops Here". Junior Bush can say until the cows come home he didn't order it, but it doesn't matter, because he allowed, somewhere along the line, for someone else to do it in his name. He's an MBA, and doesn't need executive delegation explained to him, eh?

I carried out a few USA's terminations when Reagan was there. No big thing. Unless you have an opposition ready, willing and able to go to the mat over such a really (sorry!) small matter as booting some states attorney somewhere. Of course Reagan had some AG's who rarely needed the White House to clean their own house for them, unlike Nixon and Bush Jr.

Unpoor, I don't envy you the move, and the older I get, the more inclined I am to put up with more and more rather than do so. I have moved into more houses in my lifetime than I have fingers to count them all with!

As for links, check this one out, and watch the video...ole George is one slick dude! :p
http://ridgeliner7.wordpress.com/2008/08/03/george-stephanopoulos-shilling-for-the-chosen-one/

Posted by: Ridgeliner on Aug 03, 08 | 3:11 pm

On the subject of the firing of U. S. Attorneys--those being investigated within the Justice Department and by the Congress--I am now and have always been in complete agreement with richstacy and the opinion he offered in his posting of Aug 03, 08 | 5:25 pm

ALBERT M. FORGET

unpoor,

May you have happiness and comfort in your new home.

In the State of Washington the rules dictate that you cannot be a precinct committee officer, a party chair, or hold any other political position unless you live in the geo-political area involved.

In some cases that means that you cannot move across the street or down the street into the next block and continue to hold the office.

If there is somebody already holding the equivalent office in your new locale you will probably be out of luck or have to run against the incumbent. If a vacancy occurs in the office, you may be able to be appointed to fill it. Out here that takes the gathering of at least 10 signatures in support of the individual. If one stands for the office out here, they must garner to themselves more votes than any other candidate for the same position and, as well, receive not less than a total of 10 percent of the votes cast for the congressional candidate of the same party.

Being a PCO is to be involved in representing the people at the most grass-roots level. It is often a thankless job but can be very rewarding. It is participatory democracy at its best and, though I know you are of a different political persuasion, you have my thanks for being involved.

I hope you can continue to contribute.

If you cannot serve as a precinct officer, you may still be able to become involved in the legislative district organization, or those of the county, congressional district, or state.

The most important job of all facing those so involved is getting other people to participate.

Again, good luck, health and happiness in your new home. I hope, as well, that you will continue to participate in the political process.

ALBERT M. FORGET

Rich, that one in San Diego, even Feinstein wrote to the AG and the President, demanding removal...because they were refusing to bring deportations into court.

IMO, that was a justified removal.

Posted by: afroggy2 on Aug 03, 08 | 8:29 pm

I think it is against party rules here too... You need to be in the prec that you live in when it is time to vote....

I am already involved with a couple campaigns here one congressional (Paulsen) the other state legislator (for the person who is filling the seat vacated by the guy who is running for US Congress)

I still have everyone's emails and can coordinate and organize the local prec. Oh Well, with the convention coming to town that will be just one more thing to worry about.

Well... need to gt back to packing. I hear the ol ball and chain coming upstairs to see how many pictures I have completed. heh heh

unpoor,

I would hope you either have or will find and support a replacement.

If you do, it would probably be a big help to him or her if you would pass you would use your email list to let others know who that person might be.

As well, consider providing your lists to your replacement along with any records which might help.

ALBERT M. FORGET

RICHSTACY, we think you doth protest too much. You are obviously making a huge deal out of the firing of your colleagues without one shred of proof that it was done for an improper purpose. Not one shred. Bush had the right to can them and he did. That's that.

RIDGELINER, there is an obvious troll named PAUL. It posts inane, off-topic comments that are pointless personal attacks. At least some of post personal attacks that have a relevant point.

AFROGGY2, I see this guy is still posting War and Peace length posts about his personal experiences in the military and whatever else his imagination dreams up. He's really some little nerd with tape on his glasses sitting in an internet cafe someplace with a lap top that he kept when he got fired from his last job.

EVERYONE, Obama obviously cannot think for himself. He just repeats and acts on the thoughts of others like his reverend, his wife and his friend the Pentagon bomber. That is what all the Jihadists do. They do what the Immams tell them to do.

Perhaps I would feel better, others might feel better, if your user name was different, not the too obvious play on words it is, Rachel.....

FreedomWarrior,

Posted by: FreedomWarrior on Aug 03, 08 | 2:57 pm

Posted by: FreedomWarrior on Aug 03, 08 | 3:01 pm

The place for legislating is not in the media.

The place for trials is not in the media.

In developing legislation and in conducting trials it is my opinion that reason should prevail over passion.

Our Founding Fathers had that in mind when they gave us our bi-cameral legislature (Congress) with a House of Representatives in which the immediate passions and concerns of the people could be heard and considered.

As somewhat of a guarantee that the voice of the people could be heard in that body, they made those elected to it subject to the scrutiny of the electorate every two years.

But they also gave us a Senate—a legislative body in which (because the members thereof had to have achieved 30 years of age to serve as compared to the 25 years of age requirement in the lower chamber)—where reason could prevail over passion. That that might occur, the Founders prescribed terms of 6 years with but 1/3rd of the members needing to vie for election every 2 years.

In years gone by (but in my lifetime) only fine dinnerware/china had eared cups because attaching those handles was expensive. When a steaming cup of coffee was served, the cup itself would be quite hot which is, in part, why saucers were developed which permitted coffee to be served without the server getting burnt. It was the practice to pour the coffee into the saucer and to drink from it.

Over the years the House of Representatives has been likened to the steaming-hot cup of coffee—the place where the boiling passions of the day could be considered—whereas the Senate has been compared to the saucer in which the cooling effect of reason might prevail

All Bill O’Reilly offers are impassioned opinions with no moderating voices being given the chance to be heard or reason given the opportunity to hold sway.

Above the front portal to the Supreme Court of the United States are inscribed the words “Equal Justice Under Law” not “Justice according to O’Reilly”.

In past dialogues in the weblog the firing of the U. S. Attorneys was discussed in considerable detail. Under oath before the judiciary committee, Monica Goodling admitted that political considerations played a part in the hiring of individuals to serve in Civil Service positions at Justice.

Whether the firing of the U. S. Attorneys was or was not carried out for political purposes is under investigation; and, in my opinion, the refusal of Carl Rove and others to testify under oath in regards to such matters gives at least the impression that politics was involved—else why would they have refused.

In his posting of richstacy wrote “You either have fair, unbiased, independent justice -- free of partisan political control, or you don't. I do not want to live in a country where criminal prosecution is controlled and determined by political hacks or where prosecutions are authorized or declined for partisan political reasons. . .”

And “fair, unbiased, independent justice—free of partisan control” is not what Bill O’Reilly champions.

He seems, rather, to champion one sort of law for those with whom he might agree and ever seems to render judgments before the evidence is even developed by prosecutors.

Under our system of justice—the rule of law we would suggest other nations as well live under—the rights of the accused must be protected.

Those rights are guaranteed to each of us by the Constitution and by what is known as “stare decisis”—the decisions handed down by earlier courts—and, among other things, guarantee the right to confront the accuser(s), to examine the evidence, and to call witnesses on one’s own behalf. That is what habeas corpus is all about.

Bill O’Reilly seems to want to set himself up as prosecutor, judge and jury, and the sentencing authority.

In their passions all too many go along with him.

Bill O’Reilly has not been elected to any law-making body so far as I know. I do not recall him ever being called upon to serve as an expert witness in any field. The only thing he seems to do is to loudly proclaim his biased opinions.

If you would expect the concept of “Equal Justice Under Law” to protect you, it is only meet and proper to guarantee it to all others—even to those condemned by the “beloved” Bill O’Reilly.

ALBERT M. FORGET

Ridgeliner,

Posted by: Ridgeliner on Aug 03, 08 | 9:09 pm

Je suis d'acord.

Though it seems improbable to me that Rachel Sleur would accept what I have to say, I would want it known that I have never ever visited an internet cafe. Heck, I haven't even entered a Starbucks.

ALBERT M. FORGET

al,

IF you really do not understand the 'what' & 'why', nothing I could possibly say to you could or would make you understand.

We will have to agree to disagree on this matter.

BG, I saw an email circulating identifying some concerns in this area. I googled SNOPES to determine the veracity of the claim. They said there are a couple things we can do to check the calibration of the gas pumps.

1. Note the price per gal. Then pump exactly 10 gallons of gas into your vehicle then stop. Of course, the amount on the pump should be exactly 10 times the base price.

2. If it is not, then you should contact the station manager to alert him to the problem and he should reimburse to you any overcharge.

3. If he is uncooperative, the there should be a phone number on the pump that you can call to elevate.

I try to purchase my gas at the same place every time. If I have a problem there, they know me and know that I will not hesitate to report them.

Hope this helps.

3. "......then there.....

Why do left wing fools have such a probem with commentators like Rush Limbaugh or Bill O'Reilly or Ann Coulter? They whine and complain. They infer that these commentators have no right to their opinions because they haven't been elected to any office. They infer that these commentators have no right to voice their opinions because they are too sure of themselves and they are biased and don't allow opposing views. Give me a bleeping break. You left wingers just cannot stand free speech when it is exercised by anyone that disagrees with you. Rush Limbaugh specifically asks people the disagree to call him. These guys all admit that they are biased and they are giving their point of view. Your darling little drive by media personalities on ABC, CBS, PMSNBC, etc deny that they are biased when in fact they are. They don't give time on the CBS evening news for a conservative voice and no conservative demands it. The reason that you left wing fools get so worked up about Rush in particular, talk radio in general, and others like Ann Coulter is that they can't be intimidated and they are effective. Millions upon millions listen to conservative talk radio and read books and columns by Ann Coulter and others. They are effective. Meanwhile, the drive by media TV shows keep losing audience and printed left wing media outlets like NYT and Time keep losing circulation. Liberals like Mrs. Pelosi can't give their books away as door stops and conservatives are on the best seller list.

Paul, what would you do with a brain if you had one?

Unpoor, congratulations on the sale of your domicile. You're a lucky man in this market.

A spine is a terrible thing to waste. Bravo to the House GOP members who are continuing to press for a vote on drilling. The American people should easily be able to see that the Democrats stand resolutely against the American consumer on this issue. Mrs. Pelosi is still on her, "I'll give you a copy for free" book tour. The Democrat presidential candidate is still telling people that inflating their tires will bring down gas prices. Algore is still flying around the world in his private jet urging everyone else to lower their standard of living. I will say this again. If the GOP has any guts, the energy issue is a winning issue this fall.

Rachel, it's very sad, but we think Paul may be a real person. Pathetic isn't it?

The city of San Fransicko must be controlled by some of the biggest environmentalist whackos in the world. They have outlawed plastic bags. They want to outlaw plastic water bottles. Now they are going to inspect eveyone's trash and levy fines of $1,000 for failure to properly sort your garbage. After more than two offenses, they will stop your garbage service. Great. Then everyone will just do what I do, just dump it by the side of the road.

Every single person that works in the government, appointed or elected or hired, works for the taxpayers. They would ALL do well to remember that.

Government, appointed, or elected or hired workers pay taxes, too.

This whole business about trolls makes me laugh. People, the first rule of the internet is that anybody can put anything they want on the internet. It goes for blogs. It goes for news. It goes for any kind of data. Take everything with a grain of salt. Good grief, just look at the trash spam mail we all get. Sheesh.

That was one out of eight Ridge.

"Every single person that works in the government, appointed or elected or hired, works for the taxpayers. They would ALL do well to remember that."

Posted by: montego on Aug 04, 08 | 11:18 am

Precisely the point Montego. They work for the taxpayer -- they serve the public, not some low level partisan hack who wants to subvert justice by turning it into a partisan witch hunt.

Tell me, when Hillary Clinton and her Pall who she planted in Main justice were accused of trying to fire Jay Stevens as US Atty for DC, for the reason that he was on the verge of indicting friend of Bill, Danny Rostenkowski, did you think that was cool?? Me neither.

Posted by: montego on Aug 04, 08 | 11:04 am

Agree 100%!

Al, Bill O'reilly is a commentator he has no power in the justice system. But he does a great public service by pointing out when judges and prosecutors fail to do their jobs by slapping rapists and pedophiles on the wrist and putting them back on the street. Contrary to what you say he always makes room for countervailing opinion and gives those who disagree with him the final word. this is in sharp contrast with those in the liberal media (CNN, CNBC, NBC, CBS) who are always one sided and NEVER make the slightest attempt at balance.

No rachel, Bush did not fire them, according to him, he didn't even know about it. They were fired by lowly munchkins in DOJ, unheard of in the history of America. As for the reasons, do your own research.

Unpoor, sounds like you did OK on your sale and got the benefit of the down market on the toher side. Ya can't beat that. Great! Good luck in your new digs!

Ridge says,
"I carried out a few USA's terminations when Reagan was there. No big thing. Unless you have an opposition ready, willing and able to go to the mat over such a really (sorry!) small matter as booting some states attorney somewhere. Of course Reagan had some AG's who rarely needed the White House to clean their own house for them, unlike Nixon and Bush Jr."

Actually very, very few Reagan USAs were fired, those who were, were fired for moral reasons, NEVER for refusing to pursue a political prosecution. Or for any other political reason. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Were you in the Reagan DOJ with me Ridge? If so did I run into you in the halls? I was there all 8 years + Bush 41. Send me an email.

rich,

Are you callin' Bush a liar? He is a lot of things, but dishonest or disingenuous isn't one of 'em.

monty - Aug 04, 08 | 11:11 am; is this really true? Where did you hear/read it? I am interested in this type of totalitarianism in California (across the country).

Rachel S, you made a great observation of Obama acting just like an Islamic Jihadist.

I was really irritated with a Republican talk show host last week when a caller said something similar and the host launched into this huge tirade. He was very afraid that the caller was going to hurt McCain's campaign by bringing up Obama's muslim background and connections.

Nobody is going to shut me up about this topic. I think Obama is a muslim extremist because of his connections with the Nation of Islam. You won't convince me otherwise.

rich,

You (& others) have yet to show any EVIDENCE that Bush fire them for political reasons. You are just accepting their theorizing that they were fired for political motives. Who says they weren't fired because they were idiots, ineffective at their job or because they had bad breath? You think they are going to be truthful about why they were fired?

I read an article that suggested they were refusing to investigate voter fraud or corruption involving Democrats; that seems "performance related" to me.

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Bush_administration_U.S._attorney_firings_controversy

FW, I am relieved to know that someone besides me is watching the onslaught of totalitarianism. This info was on the Drudge Report this morning. That is a good source. Dr. Michael Savage also regularly provides links to articles on the deprivation of our liberties on his site.

walnuts,

You are so right. Here is a very interesting article....

"As he reminded us again after losing narrowly to Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire, Barack Obama likes to evoke Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech.

We must all hope that, like King's, Mr. Obama's dream is "deeply rooted in the American dream." But before giving him the keys to the White House, Americans might like to know a little more about the content of Mr. Obama's dream.

Let me propose an unlikely place to start looking: Kenya. Even in the midst of the primaries, the horrific scenes from that country since the disputed election on December 27 will not have escaped most people. In particular, the burning of a church with up to 50 men, women, and children inside, while machete-armed mobs slaughter up to 600 more people, have evoked memories of the Rwandan genocide of 1994.

Who is behind these massacres? The opposition leader, Raila Odinga, has had a good press in the West, after he accused the president, Mwai Kibaki, of rigging the election. But the victims of the recent violence have mostly been members of Mr. Kibaki's tribe, the Kikuyu, while those who have gone berserk are supporters of Mr. Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement, which is dominated by the rival Luo tribe.

Whether Mr. Odinga has ordered his men to commit murder and arson is unclear. But his own background does not exactly suggest enthusiasm for democracy and the rule of law. Mr. Odinga's father, Oginga Odinga, led the Communist opposition during the Cold War and Raila Odinga was educated in Communist East Germany.

In 1982 he was implicated in a failed coup against the then president Daniel Arap Moi. His eldest son is named after Fidel Castro and his daughter after Winnie Mandela.

Even more sinister has been Mr. Odinga's electoral pact with the National Muslim Leaders' Forum — a hardline Islamist organization that represents Kenya's Muslim minority. According to this document, dated August 29, 2007, Mr. Odinga promised the Muslim leaders that, if elected, he would establish Sharia courts, not only in the northern and coastal regions where Kenyan Muslims are concentrated, but throughout the country.

He also promised to impose Muslim dress codes on women, ban alcohol and pork, indoctrinate children, ban Christian preaching, and dismiss the Commissioner of Police "who has allowed himself to be used by heathens and Zionists."

In short, Mr. Odinga in effect offered to Islamize Kenya in return for Muslim votes, despite the fact that Muslims make up only 10% of the population, compared to the 80% who are Christian. Mr. Odinga himself is nominally an Anglican, yet he signed a document that refers to Islam throughout as "the one true religion" and denigrates Christians as "worshippers of the cross."

Whether it is likely, as Mr. Odinga claims, that his party won the election with such a program, only to have it stolen by Mr. Kibaki, I cannot say. Nor am I qualified to speculate about why Mr. Odinga threw in his lot with the Islamists. It should certainly concern us that one of Africa's most stable and pro-Western countries is apparently threatened with the same grim fate that has befallen other East African states, such as Sudan and Somalia.

What, you will be asking by now, what does any of this have to do with Barack Obama? Well, Mr. Obama's father came from Kenya and his son is proud to call himself a Luo. His Kenyan relations boast that, even if they cannot get a Luo into the Kenyan presidential residence, they can look forward to a Luo in the White House.

Indeed, the connection may be even closer than a tribal one. Mr. Odinga even claims that Mr. Obama is his cousin, because the senator's father was Mr. Odinga's maternal uncle. Whether or not this true, the two men are friends and political allies.

In August 2006, Mr. Obama visited Kenya and spoke in support of Mr. Odinga's candidacy at rallies in Nairobi. The Web site Atlas Shrugs has even posted a photograph of the two men side by side. More recently, Mr. Odinga says that Mr. Obama interrupted his campaigning in New Hampshire to have a telephone conversation with his African cousin about the constitutional crisis in Kenya.

What should Americans make of Mr. Obama's Kenyan connection? If he has been putting tribal or family considerations above America's national interest by supporting Mr. Odinga's anti-Western candidacy, it raises serious questions about his judgement.

At the time of his visit in 2006, President Kibaki's spokesman complained that Mr. Obama was behaving like a "stooge" of Mr. Odinga — which was at best undignified for a visiting American senator, and at worst unwarranted interference in the internal politics of another country.

Even more serious are the doubts raised by Mr. Obama's attitude toward Islam, which has so far received much less scrutiny than might be expected in a post-September 11 presidential election.

If Mr. Obama did not know about Mr. Odinga's electoral deal with the Kenyan Islamists when he offered his support, then he should have known. If he did know, then he is guilty of lending the prestige of his office to America's enemies in the global war on terror. We need to know exactly what Mr. Obama knew about Mr. Odinga, and precisely when he knew it."

http://www.nysun.com/opinion/kenya-connection/69273/

Very good reading, FW, but look for the drive media to bury this. Will McVain have the guts to use it? I sincerely doubt that, too. Nevertheless, I am inclined to agree with Walnuts that Sen. B. Hussein Osama Obama (D-Iran) is, at the very least, actively sympathetic to the advancement of Islamofascist. At worst, he may be one of them.

Indeed, the connection may be even closer than a tribal one. Mr. Odinga even claims that Mr. Obama is his cousin, because the senator's father was Mr. Odinga's maternal uncle. Whether or not this true, the two men are friends and political allies.

In August 2006, Mr. Obama visited Kenya and spoke in support of Mr. Odinga's candidacy at rallies in Nairobi. The Web site Atlas Shrugs has even posted a photograph of the two men side by side. More recently, Mr. Odinga says that Mr. Obama interrupted his campaigning in New Hampshire to have a telephone conversation with his African cousin about the constitutional crisis in Kenya.

What should Americans make of Mr. Obama's Kenyan connection? If he has been putting tribal or family considerations above America's national interest by supporting Mr. Odinga's anti-Western candidacy, it raises serious questions about his judgement.

Why is this not the number one news story on every network? Why is the media not trying to get to the bottom of these issues?

If a republican had a cousin active in the KKK, it would be on every single news outlet & newspaper around the world, yet this garners little attention?

McCain should be running these ads - "he wants to scare you about me...." {I will admit that I am SCARED to death!!!!}

Drive by media double standard as per usual.

Posted by: richstacy on Aug 04, 08 | 1:13 pm
Were you in the Reagan DOJ with me Ridge? If so did I run into you in the halls? I was there all 8 years + Bush 41. Send me an email.

I was not at the DOJ, however email sent. ;-)

On another front, I posted an interesting deal on Obama and Big Oil on my blog. Seems Obama voted for the Bush-Cheney giveaway to the oil companies in 2005. Hillary and McCain opposed it. http://ridgeliner7.wordpress.com/2008/08/04/clinton-dems-blast-obama-ties-to-big-oil-deception/

Posted by: montego on Aug 04, 08 | 11:11 am

In Seattle, starting the first of the year, stores will charge the customer 20 cents for each plastic bag because they have decided that as those bags do not break down (ever) and are not easily recyclable, it would be better if customers brought their own (fabric) bags to the store and keep the plastic out of land fills.

ALBERT M. FORGET

monte: If you discharge your waste along the road you will not be able to comply with SFrans next years law. Every citizen must submit 4 cu yds of waste per month. It will be meseaured in cu meters because that is the only unit of measure the trash collectors understand since they do not speak English. Of course a 10 dollar bill in the trash can will get you 4 cubic meters every month. If you are going to be citizens of the world you have to live as the world does. Graft is god.

Tkearns:

I feel most certain $5 will do. Please don't add to the inflation rate and make your neighbors angry by setting the going rate at ten bucks!

Would you care to explain yourself, as to why you are not a good citizen & consumer, so as to have a lower than expected trash output? You should understand it is incumbent upon all of us to help our fellow citizens by maintaining a steady output.

Nobody is going to shut me up about this topic. I think Obama is a muslim extremist because of his connections with the Nation of Islam. You won't convince me otherwise.



Posted by: Walnuts on Aug 04, 08 | 1:55 pm


Well, I would not vote for Obama simply because Obama is black. That is my right to do so and not have to apologize to anyone for my opinion either.

My older brother assures me he is voting for McCain, simply because he now hates all people younger than he (my brother) is. That is his right, and I shall not ask him to apologize for hating all us nasty younger f-----s.

As for Obama being black and/or Muslim, he cannot help that, if it were true, about being Muslim, unless he converted to Muslim, and neither should effect his job as President, should the voters be so uninformed as to elect him. After all, we did elect Carter, so anything is possible....

Our country is being held hostage by a self serving ideologue who is using her position to stall the will of the people to further her own agenda.

Pelosi is using her position as the Speaker of the House to advance her personal belief that she “has a planet to save”.

Well Queen Nancy, what about saving the American People? How about we try putting their needs first, you egotistical cow?

My God people, how much will it take before we say enough?

75% of the people polled are now in favor of drilling off shore yet the overwhelming majorities wishes mean little to these ass wipes.
________________________________________________________
Their Rhetoric: If we would start drilling today it would take 10 years before we would see any benefit and it would be marginal at best.

Fact: In the days after President Bush lifting his own father’s ban on offshore drilling the price of crude fell substantially to end the record run up. This was due to the oil futures changing directions because the long term bets on the PPB (price per barrel) were hedged on the chances for further domestic production had increased.

The PPB futures have continued to fall due to the polling results that show 3 out of 4 Americans now are in favor of increase domestic production.
________________________________________________________
Their Rhetoric: Increased drilling will invite environmental disaster.

Fact: More oil seeps into the ocean due to geological forces than escapes form ocean oil platforms. Current technology is more than capable to stave off such disasters and the oil companies have a vested interest in not losing oil. Even losing 2000 barrels would, at today’s prices, result in a loss of almost a quarter million dollars in product. How much is 2000 barrels? About 125 times less than the Exxon Valdez disaster.
________________________________________________________
Their Rhetoric: Global Warming. Global Warming. GLOBAL WARMING!

Fact: There has been no global warming thus far this century, in fact the Arctic ice pack has increased since last year and Alaska is currently facing one of it’s coolest summers on record. It’s a dying issue, time to move on.
________________________________________________________

I could go on all night on this but I don’t want to risk an Al like post. I’ll be happy to debate this with any of the eco-nuts if they want to add to their rhetoric but for now I’ll leave it at this...

Speaker of the House is also an elected position. Write your Representative and tell them what you think of the current Speaker and her martinet tactics. Let them know of any displeasure you have with the current leadership and how their support of them could cost them your vote.

""I accept this gavel in the spirit of partnership, not partisanship, and look forward to working with you on behalf of the American people. In this House, we may belong to different parties, but we serve one country." Nancy Pelosi on acceptance of the Speakership.

Can we impeach her on grounds of malpractice????

I agree FW, Obama scares the crap out of me!!

I will repeat myself again..I recommend that Natonal Geographic, especially the older issues be perused....history will make a bigger jerk out of all of these global warming, tree hugging zealots.

When Pelosi was wandering all over the world acting like the Secretary of State. not too much was said...I watch CNN and was beginning to wonder if she ever performed her job.

Long term bets ??? Sounds like a bit of speculation to me (of course, speculation is being denied)

No tax change on folks below 250,000 says Obama...McCain, right after, said Obama was raising taxes on folks above 35,000...are we having a senior moment ?

I bet if the old guys were sent to war, we wouldn't find many excuses to get into one.

Not to worry, Obama will lose.

Night all....

McCain Team -

Americans across the country are feeling the effects of high gas prices and our need to expand domestic oil production.

John McCain says we need offshore oil drilling and we need it now. Senator Barack Obama has consistently opposed offshore drilling - calling it a "gimmick." Senator Obama's solution to high gas prices is telling Americans to make sure their tires are inflated.

Today, I'm asking for your help in putting Senator Obama's "tire gauge" energy policy to the test. With an immediate donation of $25 or more, we will send you an "Obama E nergy Plan" tire pressure gauge. Will simply inflating your tires reduce the financial burden of high gas prices on your wallet?

It's clear Senator Obama has no plan to address the energy challenges we face as a nation. He has said no to offshore drilling, no to expanding domestic drilling and no to nuclear energy. He has no plan to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

John McCain is prepared to lead our country as president to break our dependence on foreign oil with real solutions. John McCain believes we should lift the federal ban on offshore drilling, enabling you to decide where we drill for oil.

But John McCain won't be able to enact these policies without your help in electing him as our next president.

Please help us put Senator Obama's energy plan to the test - donate $25 or more for your very own "Obama Energy Plan" tire pressure gauge.

Th anks, as always, for your support.

Sincerely,
Rick Davis
Campaign Manager

P.S. Our next president's energy policy will need to reduce our dependency on foreign oil. John McCain believes we need offshore drilling now. Senator Obama's plan is calling on Americans to check their tire pressure. We're asking for your help in testing out Senator Obama's energy plan. With your donation of $25 or more right now, we'll send you a tire gauge to test for yourself, Senator Obama's "tire gauge" energy policy.





LOL I feel this has less to do with McCain going negative and more with Obmama going stupid.

http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/mcca ... ode=9898-1

On Sunday, Hilton's mother, Kathy Hilton, a McCain donor, registered her disapproval.

"It is a complete waste of the country's time and attention at the very moment when millions of people are losing their homes and their jobs," Kathy Hilton said in a short article posted on the liberal Huffington Post Web site. "And it is a completely frivolous way to choose the next president of the United States."

She's a McCain "donor" and she posted it on the "Huffington Post"?
The article doesn't mention how much she's donated to the Obama campgain.
And what would this multi-millionaire know about housing or jobs? She's about as skilled in those categories as she is in raising that filthy rich Slut daughter of hers.

I tried to post on Huffington on her short note. They banned me the day before for pointing out on another post how liberals debate like children.

At least now we know where Paris gets her "intellect."

I wonder why Kathy Hilton doesn't publicly register her disapproval of her daughter's lifestyle and habits?

This is right up there with Lynn Spears trying to write a book about raising daughters. LOL

poor it must have been a bad post since the link you posted has been taken down.

The Hilton's, like most of their friends, in like financial circumstances, contribute to both Democrats and Republicans, whatever the max allowed.

Unlike some other Hilton family members, they have never been known as politically active. This was, as noted, just a ploy...... ;-)

chuckles: Yes, you have the right not to vote for any person whatever your reason(s). But I would ask that you reconsider not voting for a person because he or she is black. Obama is as much white as he is black. I'm not an Obama supporter because of his politics and his associations and will not vote for him. Being black should have nothing to do with his running for office In reality it does. But that still does not make it a justifiable position.

I appreciate your honesty but do not find it admirable.

chuckles: P.S. Obama's being "as much white as he is black" was not stated as a reason to vote for him, just as it would not be a reason to vote for him were he 'all' black. 'Blackness and whiteness' should not be a voting criteria, but it certainly is.

...only because we make it so....

This whole bag controversy is more proof that liberalism is a mental disorder. Think about it. For years, most stores gave you a paper bag for your purchases. Then the enviro-nazis struck and demanded that we "save the trees." Stores went to plastic bags. The environmentalist whackos did not know that plastic is an evil petroleum. Plastic, unlike paper, biodegrades very slowly. Now they want to ban the plastic bags. Will you enviro-nazis make up your bleeping minds already? Personally, I've always liked the paper bags and still get them at the grocery store.

TK, I think I will just save the ten-spot and put off the move to the Bay Area. LOL

FW, try emailing that article about Sen. B. Hussein Obama to Hannity. Maybe he can use it on his "Stop Obama Express."

Unpoor, I am still waiting for Sen. McVain (D-Hanoi) to fire the campaign staffers that came up with tire guage idea on the basis that it's too "negative." I think it's funny. The campaign could use a lot more humor.

Well, Sen. McVain (D-Stockholm) is continuing to build good will with GOP conservatives. Now he has excluded Dick Cheney from the GOP National Convention. McVain is just as small minded and vindictive as ever. He will probably have a Democrat give the keynote speech.

bd: Only become some make it so and others point it out in order to make it so.

Bags. I am selling green bags in my gift shop. They are made of cloth material and they have my advertising on them. So far they have withstood 54 washings and show no wear . The first one has been in use for 8 years at the farmers market. They are made by my wife and she uses them at the grocery stores. If she has two much for the bags she used boxes from the stores and the cardboard is recycled.

I noticed that some of the airlines will now charge for pillows and blankets on some flights....$7. They will charge $2-$4 for water and peanuts. Lord knows what the price of alcohol will go to....

I guess $5 is not too much to pay for the privilege of having extra trash.

Montego, It really isn't customary for the outgoing President and VP to attend, much less speak at their parties convention.

That "news story" originated at the Huffington Post, which really isn't, you know, a bonafide news organization...

Ridge, if you tried to "rebuf every news story" presented on this blog, we would quickly run out of bandwith.....

I have 4 children; do you know how many fabric bags I would have to supply?

I can barely afford the groceries as it is, but now when I do my monthly shop, I will have to supply my own bags or be charged 20 cents a bag? Do they charge me 40 cents for double-bagged bags?

What if the bags I brought were plastic? Could they charge me a fine? Would I have to pay for paper bags?

What about the stores that do not charge a 20 cents a bag, won't they have a great advantage over stores that do charge? I mean at 20 cents a bag, that really adds up. Will stores be forced to charge customers? Who collects this "bag tax"?

Whatever next? It is ludicrous!

Having spent some time in Germany, I still have my cloth shopping bags...love 'em...now if we could only get their transportation system over here.......

Three cheers for Texas and their GOP Governor!

They are standing up to the world court and the American State Department. They will fry the murdering illegal alien that is on death row.

This year can be a Republican landslide if they hammer on the gas price issue and the domestic drilling issue.

They can use beautiful sound bites from Pelosi refusing to allow a vote on drilling and shutting the doors on Congress. They can use great clips of Obama saying inflating your tires will produce as much oil as drilling will. They can show clips of Obama mocking the reduction of the federal gas tax. They can show the clip of Congresswoman Maxine Waters threatening to nationalize all the oil companies. This is great stuff!

The Republicans can own the congress if they attack the Democrats on this issue. People understand it. It's a pocket book issue. Every average guy knows that it's cheaper to drill our own oil than to buy it from the Arab shieks that give money to terrorists. Let's go. Get the commercials and the flyers ready and I will help hand them out!!

Duke, you are right IMHO, now it remains to be seen if the Republicans are sharp enough to accept these gifts and capitalize on them!!

BD, re the airlines charging for everything, Jay Leno says if they really want to make some money, they would give beer away and charge $10 for the Potty/head.

but seriously, why the hell don't they just charge a fair price that reflects the cost of fuel, and stop waging psychological warfare against their customers?

Re Paris Hilton's mommie objecting to the video. Leno got off another good one: "Of all the 'videos' Paris has been in THIS is the one she abjects to???"

FW where the hell did you ever get the notion that I called Bush a liar???

As to the facts, even in the article YOU cite, did you give this language a miss??:

"It later emerged that the attorneys were engaged in a number of public corruption investigations of Republican public officials or had refused to pursue investigations of Democrats that would have been beneficial to Republicans in elections."

FW, I know and have personally talked to both Iglesias and McKay. They were not fired by President Bush, the White house denied any knowledge of their firing to them. They were fired by political hacks in the Department who lack the rank or the constitutional authority to fire a presidential appointee. (Appointed by Bush) And they will tell you that they were fired for political reasons. Iglesias was fired for refusing to indict some Democrats just prior to the election at the wishes of NM republican Senator, who wanted to embarrass the democrats to gain an advantage for the election. Iglesias was by ALL accounts an excellent U.S. Attorney. Now here's a flash for you FW. (This is a lesson that both Bill Clinton and GW Bush have learned the hard way: United States Attorneys don't indict or prosecute ANYONE, or fail to indict or prosecute anyone, for partisan political reasons. Nor do they allow their offices to be used for partisan politics, EVER! Such abuse of power can never be tolerated in a free society.

I am amazed at you FW! I am appalled, as you are, by the blatant politics being played over this issue by the Democrats in Congress -- but that does not excuse the missteps by fools in the Bush Justice Department. Why do you think Gonzales is gone? This is why. He screwed up big time and he knows it. Why do you think Gonzalez no longer has prayer of being appointed to the U.S. Supreme court? This is why. And why do you think the nation's former U.S. attorneys including every single Reagan appointee still alive, have condemned this fiasco?

Bury your kneejerk partisan opinion, and come out strong for fair non-political justice. This crap is wrong whether it is Bill Clinton trying to get rid of Jay Stevens before he can indict a Democratic Congressman or some low level munchkin in DOJ firing David Iglesias because he refuses to let some Ahole senator force him into abusing his power by indicting a Democrat before an election to try to turn the election. Sometimes FW, you are neither a Republican nor a Democrat, you are just a citizen who must demand good government!! I surely thought that's who you would be in a case like this.

Listen up Slick Willy and GW Bush:
The place for playing partisan politics IS NOT THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF jUSTICE.

Posted by: unpoor on Aug 05, 08 | 7:08 am

Is the fact that you posted information from the McCain Campaign website here give others permission to do the same and post information from the Bob Barr Campaign website or (heaven help us) from that of Barack Obama?

Would maintaining proper tire pressure save gas?

Trivializing things seems to be the order of the day in some realms and that is what the posted information seemed to me to be.

There does seem to be considerable information to suggest that certain actions relative to automobiles can, in fact, increase gas mileage.

The federal government (the government headed by George W. Bush) has posted on a website that “You can improve your gas mileage by around 3.3 percent by keeping your tires inflated to the proper pressure. Under-inflated tires can lower gas mileage by 0.4 percent for every 1 psi drop in pressure of all four tires. Properly inflated tires are safer and last longer.”

There are also other suggestions on that website which can help improve gas mileage and, coincidentally help reduce dependence on foreign oil.

For those who would consider facts father than silliness it might be worth visiting http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/maintain.shtml

ALBERT M. FORGET

Winter, when I shop, and I usually do it at Walmart, I typically have over two dozen bags. In Europe, where I have lived, off and on for damn near 6 years in total, people shop very differently.

Typically they are on foot or bike. Certainly over 90% (some parts of the UK might be the exception to this "rule) do not use their own auto. At home, refrigerators are about half to 3/4 smaller than ours in the U.S. or Canada. If one has a freezer, it usually is a seperate, under-counter unit, 1 cubic foot in size.

So, in most areas outside the U.S. and Canada, shopping with a or two grocery bags makes good sense. Here, if one lives alone, or a couple only, and one is close to a market, you could also make two or more visits to the market and use them.

The downside to European shopping, is no buying in bulk to save money, prices there are very, very high compared to the U.S., and people by tradition shop many times per week.

Having said all of that, I am not opposed to recycling, and modern plastic bags are now corn-based, and degrade completely in a short time. To test this, leave one outside, in full sun for a week.

As for Europe's transportation, don't even get me started!! I have worked many years in trying to promote it, and the unions and public employee associations have always been the major opponents of it..... :-(

In 1935 Supreme Court Justice George Sutherland summarized the
dual role of prosecutors:

<<The United States Attorney is the representative not of
an ordinary party to a controversy, but of a sovereignty
whose obligation to govern impartially is as compelling
as its obligation to govern at all; and whose interest,
therefore, in a criminal prosecution is not that it shall win
a case, but that justice shall be done. As such, he is in a
peculiar and very definite sense the servant of the law,
the twofold aim of which is that guilt shall not escape or
innocence suffer. He may prosecute with earnestness
and vigor — indeed, he should do so. But, while he
may strike hard blows, he is not at liberty to strike foul
ones. It is as much his duty to refrain from improper
methods calculated to produce a wrongful conviction as
it is to use every legitimate means to bring about a just
one.>>
Berger v. United States, 295 U.S. 78, 88 (1935).

unpoor,

Posted by: unpoor on Aug 05, 08 | 7:13 am

At present the maximum an individual is permitted to contribute to a campaign for any federal office is $2,300 per election. That means that an individual can contribute that amount during the primary-election period and another $2,300 during the general-election. See http://www.fec.gov/pages/brochures/fecfeca.shtml

Both Kathy Hilton and Rick Hilton have maxed out for the primary as each of them has contributed $2,300.

Those interested in reading the article to which unpoor offered a link may do so at
http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/mccain_hiltons_mom/2008/08/03/118646.html

That article notes the amounts of the donations and Kathy Hiltons expressed disapproval.

ALBERT M. FORGET

Posted by: unpoor on Aug 05, 08 | 7:13 am

UNPOOR< Well if it were me I'd sign on with another name and post to the same thread that Obama opened this door. Then I'd send them to the following thread with quote of the first 5 lines of this 2005 Washington Post article itself....

"There's nothing exotic or complicated about how phenoms are made in Washington, and, more to the point, how they are broken.

'Andy Warhol said we all get our 15 minutes of fame,' says Barack Obama. 'I've already had an hour and a half. I mean, I'm so overexposed, I'm making Paris Hilton look like a recluse.'"

This is from his own statement of Febrary 24th 2005 found here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A48523-2005Feb23?language=printer

See this isn't about Paris Hilton. It is about "transparency" and how the shallow tend to be translucent (i.e. transparent), to lack opacity, to lack substance. So in context, the idea of NObama compared to Paris Hilton has created the stir, and when you go to the source of this comparison, NObama exemplifies exactly how translucent NObama is, has been, and likely will continue to be. In many ways this explains sitting 20 years in a Church and not realizing what was being said, nor the actual weight of the Weatherman and their cult, or attaching any meaning to attendance of the Million Man March (which NObama seems to not wish to discuss).

It is certain to me that NObama will bring a lack of substance to the White House and most likely he'll claim it as tranparency.

Please note that Paris Hilton would be proud to know she reached all of you with the impression, with the image, she wishes to portray. Based on this 2005 Washington Post quote of NObama however he has no excuse for his similarity to her from translucence, shallowness, a lack of substance to his overzealous assertions of presidency, disrespect for our troops, and absolute need to display his arrogance (elitism).

But I guess these are the reasons why he's the one we've been waiting for, to return to our traditions of elitism, lack of substance, and shallowness. Maybe he got something out of Reverend Wright, Liberation Theology, and the condemnations of the United States after all. :p


As far as who cares what Mrs. Hilton says, it's a political year and opportunity can arise from any corner, look at the drilling issue for instance.

The unions who support NObama have been affording that support by being the primary purchasers of oil speculative paper, and reselling it for a profit. They'll probably be taking a hit if the price of oil doesn't rise again within 3 months from the days of it's recent peak, well unless they convert large sums to put options quickly or anticipated the drop and have put options already purchased.

The point being is that they drove the price up looking for a way to get volumes of cash to put into liberal coffers, however they created an issue for the issueless republicans in a year the democrats should have swept everything, that NObama should have a 15 pt plus lead.

Consider this in light of the leads Kerry and Gore enjoyed going into the 2000 and 2004 elections, 10+ points and both lost. So the pressure is on and though I am not a believer McCain is a genuine conservative I am of the opinion he believes in America and respects our troops, that he does look to cut wasteful government spending on the idea of not expanding government. So he surely is the far lesser of 2 evils, especially in light of the NObama Energy Policy of tire gauges and tune ups. At least this one is affordable since he doesn't have to raise taxes or give us a tax incentive to buy tire gauges or do tune-ups. :p

In any event, if Mrs. Hilton is willing to post to the Huffington Post we should be sure to help her gain the controversy she needs and provide for an opportunity to exploit NObama's "foot in mouth" once more.

Enjoy

P.S. I'd then direct Hilton's mom to make certain to let Paris know that NObama has admitted to disparaging her image and that Paris may want to contact her lawyer to determine if she has any legal rights. :p

FreedomWarrior,

Posted by: FreedomWarrior on Aug 05, 08 | 1:39 pm

The stores will be required to charge their customers $0.20 a bag whether the bag is plastic or paper.

There is no fine for bringing and using your won bags whether those bags are plastic or paper.

All grocery and convenience stores in Seattle will be required to impose the charge.

I cannot find the specific reference but seem to recall that the stores will be charged based on the number of paper and plastic bags they order under the assumption that if they order them they will provide their customers with them. I don’t think the stores would want to absorb the cost.

As part of the program the City of Seattle plans to give each resident a couple of free cloth bags.

Department stores are excluded from the program though some of them are already encouraging their customers to use cloth bags.

Additionally, starting next July, the use of plastic foam food containers will be banned in Seattle.

We got along without plastic bags for many years (they came on the scene in 1977) and it should really be no problem to get along without them again.

As noted by wintersoldier, cloth bags have been in use in Europe for a long time and they do just fine.

In anticipation of the law eventually being extended across the state, I recently purchased a number of cloth (nylon-reinforced) cloth bags at a cost of $0.99 each. I have been using an insulated bag to transport my frozen and chilled items for a number of years and that has worked well.

A lot of people will probably moan and groan but will probably find using cloth bags easy—once they get used to taking them along when they go shopping.

A Seattle P-I story on the subject is at http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/372566_bags29.html if you are interested.

ALBERT M. FORGET

No moanin' or groanin' here froggy, just more wincing at paternalism. Or, in the case of Seattle, unbridled liberalism trying to keep up with sister cities Portland and San Francisco.

I approve of the use of non-plastic bags. I recognize the harm the bags cause the environment. I arrived at this conclusion without government intervention of any type.
What will Father (or Mother, if you prefer) Seattle find to ban next ? We could all come up with quite a laundry list.

How about banning indiscriminate breeding of children by persons without the resources or ability to adequately nourish, care for, and raise children to be responsible adults ?

I can think of some great fines/penalties.

montego is not far off the mark in his indictment of the "enviro-nazis".

As someone who has worked the retail wars for thirty years and in four different decades I can tell you that there was a much more simple reason why plastic bags became the norm.

It is true that in the early ‘80s the paper or plastic revolution began in earnest when the aforementioned eco-nuts started the whole aforementioned “Save a Tree” argument. They totally ignored the fact that trees were a renewable resource but plastic was a non degradable hydrocarbon.

But this argument was advanced by the retail industry themselves. Why?

Economics.

Even way back in 1980 the standard 1/6 barrel brown paper bag, the old work horse of the grocery business, cost an average of 4¢ each. Every 1000 bags cost $40 and the average grocery store would go through 10,000 bags a week easily. Along comes plastic bags at one tenth of the cost. Added benefits to lower cost were the lighter weight and the smaller profile taking less space.

In an industry where the net profit margin is 2% this was an no brainer and a cost saving, profit boosting move.

I can also tell you that as a retail warrior I seen the advantages to the tote bags that are so in vogue right now immediately and bought enough to handle my needs. The store I shop gives a 5¢ rebate for each bag I reuse every time shop so they will pay for themselves in less than an half year of weekly shopping.

Other advantages is that they don’t rip, with their nice wide base they are less likely to tip over and I don’t have to repack my groceries when I get home unlike with plastic bags where what I bought is all over the back of my Honda. Plus they can be used for other purposes.

Oh, and they help the environment too. ;-D

Where’s the Mod?

Four new topics in nine days and now almost two weeks on this one.

Where oh where has our little John gone, oh where oh where could he be. With his con side short and his lib side long, oh where oh where could he be.

shutter amen, where the heck is he? New topic please. Bob Lussier didn't hesitate to send me a new survey today, but we can't buy a new topic. Ridiculous.

Query to all: Does Obama himself produce enough hot air to inflate all our tires to his specifications, thus single handedly saving the planet, or will he have to call on Pelosi and Gore for help???

Great Nobama bumper stickers etc at:

http://shop.cafepress.com/nobama

OMG, Obama Really IS This Stupid!!!!!



http://hotair.com/archives/2008/08/05/d ... blackouts/



"Did Obama endorse rolling blackouts?

Barack Obama repeated his call for a 15% reduction in electrical demand in Youngstown, Ohio, and held California up as a model for the rest of the nation to follow. Claiming that the Golden State made great strides towards efficiency, Obama apparently forgot the travails California went through:

Finally, I will call on businesses, government, and the American people to meet the goal of reducing our demand for electricity 15% by the end of the next decade. This is by far the fastest, easiest, and cheapest way to reduce our energy consumption – and it will save us $130 billion on our energy bills. One report found that right here in Ohio, improvements in energy efficiency can help save homes and businesses $1.5 billion in energy costs by 2020.

The state of California has implemented such a successful efficiency strategy that while electricity consumption grew 60% in this country over the last three decades, it didn’t grow at all in California. There is no reason we can’t do the same thing all across America.

Let’s emulate California? First, California didn’t cut their demand; they only kept it from increasing. Next, people may remember how well California’s energy policy worked over the last two decades. The aging infrastructure, price mandates, and botched privatization led the state into years of rolling blackouts, where utilities simply cut off supply in order to compensate for an inability to meet demand. Governor Gray Davis got recalled from office over the issue, but the blackouts continued for years afterward.

And again, California never did reduce demand, not even by 5%, let alone 15%. I’m not sure Californians would feel like a great example of an energy policy that worked, and I doubt the rest of the nation feels differently. And Obama once again repeated his pledge to get a million more plug-hybrids (at 150 mpg!) on the road while cutting electrical demand, a neat trick that Obama still hasn’t explained.

Obama also talked about jobs, but for some reason didn’t mention the jobs that would get created through a responsible energy policy:

The payoff from these investments in renewable energy sources will be renewable energy jobs across Ohio and across America. Now, I know that over the past eight years, you’ve lost more 236,000 manufacturing jobs in this state. But I also know that Ohio has the second highest potential of all fifty states to create new wind energy manufacturing jobs – and investing in wind power could increase workers’ wages in Ohio by more than $3.5 billion through the year 2020. I also know that with the right investments, this state could save $24 billion a year that you spend importing energy, and instead, power two million homes using wind power.

Eventually, when mass-production sources of energy are found, it will result in jobs. Those will come much later than even Obama’s pessimistic predictions of oil production from domestic drilling, at least ten years out and maybe more than that. Domestic drilling, however, would create jobs now. ANWR alone would create 750,000 jobs, and deep-sea drilling more than that. It would create American jobs at home as investments increased in our own resources — and could easily be done at the same time and in parallel to work developing energy sources of the future.

Why not do both? Obama never explains that, just as he never explains how we’ll cut 15% of our electrical demand while transferring vehicles to electricity."


Somebody should make a poster of an entire California city sitting at night under a rolling black out with the words "There is no reason we can’t do the same thing all across America." at the bottom.

Great Nobama bumper stickers etc at:

http://shop.cafepress.com/nobama



Posted by: richstacy on Aug 05, 08 | 10:23 pm

This is great, so many to choose from... Rich, which one are you getting?

I need something for my gas guzzling 350HP 18 year old Chevy Pickup. Have a bunch of libtards at the office, this aught to shake things up a bit. heh heh.

plastic bags are non degradable... blah, blah blah.

this is not true, everything eventually dissolves and breaks down. Mountains eroded... oceans dry up and little plastic bags and bottles do indeed, given enough time in the elements, break down, just like everything else on this earth.

Don't get sucked into more of this dumb ass tree hugging liberal crap-think. Use your mind and think about it.

Just keep talking up your Marxist plan Hussein. What an idiot!

Our national demand for electricity will drop by more than 15% if Hussein's Marxist plan gets put in place just through loss of productivity and GDP.

Yup Ace. The half life of PU is 24,000 years. That is the radioactive decay. We do no have time for that. We need all the plastic bags for sand bags so we can save NYC from the raising oceans due to global warming. If you listen to all the crazy stuff going around nowadays you can create a monster. None of it is fact, It is all opinion. It is like the guy with the poster that walks the street stating that the world will end tomorrow. This world has been around millions of years and nothing can be cited that proves that it will not be around for many more millions of years.

Who is in control may be the question.

The energy plans put out by both candidates will not solve the problem. It has to be all of the above and the president should have nothing to do about it and neither should the congress except get out of the way and let the capital system work. We can have reasonably priced energy in about 7 years if we allow the energy companies to do what they need to do to provide us with energy and the population will be at full employment. We have to greatly decrease the government delay in everything we do. It took me from the 29th of January 2008 until the 29th of jul to get a permit to open a small business. The government provided no funds just a license to make wine. It takes about 15 years to get the permits to build a nuke power plant. It should take about one year.

What do you make of the following?

"Soaring oil prices will leave the Iraqi government with a cumulative budget surplus of as much as $79 billion by year’s end, according to an American federal oversight agency. But Iraq has spent only a minute fraction of that on reconstruction costs, which are now largely borne by the United States.
The unspent windfall, which covers surpluses from oil sales since 2005, appears likely to reinforce growing debate about the approximately $48 billion in American taxpayer money devoted to rebuilding Iraq since the American-led invasion.

In one comparison, the United States has spent $23.2 billion in the critical areas of security, oil, electricity and water since the 2003 invasion, the report said. But from 2005 through April 2008, Iraq has spent just $3.9 billion on similar services. " ....

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/06/world/middleeast/06surplus.html?


I know, I know .... the NYT? Such a "leftist rag" according to some in this blog.
However, I tend to think they are mostly correct in their reporting (which does not mean "unbiased", just correct), so this little piece of reporting leaves me even more sure of what my take is on the whole "spreading freedom" B**** has been all about.

Just wondering .... do you ever look back and reconsider your support for this no-win invasion?

Can somebody tell me what biodegradeable means?

biodegradable: –adjective
1-capable of decaying through the action of living organisms: biodegradable paper; biodegradable detergent.
2-Material that, left to itself, will be decomposed by natural processes.

—Related forms
bi·o·de·grad·a·bil·i·ty, noun

Plastic bags also cut out the need for the baggers to use their....brains, in actually packing a bag efficiently one or two items per bag, depending on size, ie one cloth or paper bag 10 /12 items, one plastic bag (flimsy at that 1 to maybe 4 items (if you're lucky).
Paul, go to wikipedia, there you will find an extensive definition of bio degradable.

Ridge, effective transportation was the only thing I miss about Boston and as you say, the Germans have us whipped, hands down...BTW, when injuries I pick up in SE Asia caused me to change specialties, Movements control and logistics became my profession so I became more than slightly famiiliar with moving people and things by all modes. Lots of challenges (and fun !!!)

The problem with mass transit is just the same with alternate energy sources, it’s not a one size fits all resolution. What works in the major metropolitan areas on both coasts is not cost effective in most of the heartland.

Mass transit only works when there is a sizable population and most neighborhoods are self contained. In the sprawling metro areas of the Midwest where distances are figured in minutes as well as miles to spend four hours on a bus to commute to and from work is a deal breaker for most.

The great bag debate boils down to a single issue. Most people balk at being told they have to do something.

Using multi-use bags should be a common sense issue and an easy conservation step. The fact is that whether they are made as a petroleum byproduct or of biodegradable products they still use up valuable resources to make.

There is a difference between decomposing and just shredding down as plastic bags really do. When something decomposes it returns to a natural state, breaking down into smaller pieces as plastic does only creates hazardous material.

The current energy debate has been long delayed and should have been concluded in the ‘70s. All of our procrastination in hooting and hollering now is only going to ensure that when we do get around to trying to fix it, it will cost us more in treasure and sacrifices.

Wake up folks, our energy policy, or lack there of, is a major issue in our National Security and every little bit helps. The government isn’t going to solve it so it’s up to us to stop acting like a bunch of spoiled children and start taking steps ourselves.

Transportation.....Ugh!

Let me give you one example: I worked for a County Supervisor in Los Angeles. It was when we were planning the area light rail system. Millions were spent on routing. Of course the goal was to route it so that the most people, working in downtown and living in the suburbs, would find it cheap, easy and convenient. Even if people commuted to the light rail station, and parked there, the pay-off in easing congestion in the central core, and less freeway miles driven would be in the billions, in total, over a decade.

Now all of this isn't quite as easy as it seems, because right-of-ways needed to be bought up, in advance of the public unveiling, to keep speculators at bay, and keep the price paid by government as low as possible. We planned, and planned, over several years. I am talking about the Blue Line in Los Angeles County here. Google it, and look at the final route. We planned it for the areas where workers actually lived, those who were driving each and every day to Downtown Los Angeles. When we announced the routing, from Long Beach to Los Angeles, traveling North and East from Long Beach, roughly along the route of Interstate 605, then West to Los Angeles either along Interstate 10 or just South of it, the plan was hailed as great planning.

What happened to it? We were accused of racism, that's what. Eventually, under lawsuits and threats of them, demonstrations stirred up by pandering politicians, the route was changed to what it is today....running through Watts, Compton and Lynwood, minority areas with few jobs and even less citizens who worked in Downtown L.A. Today, decades after we built the damn thing, ridership and number of trains is still less than 40% of what was projected, simply because of the route!

As for plastic bags, newer ones are made from Corn. They are fully biodegradable, and if mandated, their cost would come down to the same as plastic ones. Of course now that the idiots in government panderers that they are, have mandated Ethanol, of course the price of Corn is through the roof. No matter that it costs more to refine Ethanol than gasoline, and is less efficient.

**SIGH**

Posted by: shutterhunter on Aug 06, 08 | 7:02 am


Build roads. Problem solved.

NEXT....

Posted by: tkearns on Aug 06, 08 | 12:01 am

energy plans

Drill Now Drill here, pay Less.

Problem solved.

NEXT.....

Dear Friend,

During his recent speech in Berlin, Barack Obama tried to ingratiate himself to the foreign crowd by claiming loudly that he was "a citizen of the world."

The problem is Obama's self-proclaimed global "citizenship" appears to go well beyond just a rhetorical device to gain favor with a European throng full of pie-in-the-sky utopians.

It seems the Democrats' would-be president of the United States of America really believes that the rest of the world's problems, and approval, trump the interests of Americans when it comes to how we live our lives and where our money is spent.

While stumping for the support of his party's leftist base, Obama proclaimed, "we can't drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times . . . and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK."

And now he's putting your money where his mouth is.

A bill he has sponsored in the U.S. Senate, the so-called Global Poverty Act
(S. 2433), would raise the amount of American tax dollars allocated to United Nations' redistribution efforts to $845 billion.

That's $2,500 from every American taxpayer, when many in our country already are struggling to make ends meet.

And if you think taxes and energy costs are high now, wait until Obama's global energy and production taxes are made law by the Nancy Pelosi/Harry Reid-run Democrat Congress.

Is this what Pelosi meant when she said, "I'm trying to save the planet! I'm trying to save the planet!"?

Senator Obama and the Democrats don't seem to understand that American prosperity is a result of the hard work of American citizens in a free market economy. And that the American people already are the most generous in the world when it comes to global aid.

Help us show Barack Obama that Americans don't need foreign approval to lead their lives as they see fit, and that he ought to remember that he is running for president of the United States, not the United Nations.

Please make a secure online contribution of $2,000, $1,000, $500, $100, $50 or $25 today to provide Republican candidates with the resources they urgently need to tell voters about the Obama Democrats' plans for America.

The future of an America whose government makes its own citizens its first priority may depend on it.

Sincerely,



Robert M. "Mike" Duncan
Chairman, Republican National Committee

P.S. Powerful leftist forces will spend whatever it takes to elect Barack Obama and Democrats up and down the ticket to impose their radical utopian agenda on America. Help us make sure they don't succeed by making a secure online campaign contribution of $2,000, $1,000, $500, $100, $50 or $25 to the RNC today. Thank you.



The Republican machine is starting up again! Good to see.

Even got something from Dick Morris this morning... you guys ever read these?

FEAR FACTOR: MCCAIN'S BEST BET


By DICK MORRIS & EILEEN MCGANN


Published in The New York Post on August 5, 2008.

Printer-Friendly Version


Barack Obama had it half right when he said that the McCain campaign would focus on raising voters' fears about him.

He was wrong in saying that the chief point of attack would be that he "doesn't look like all those other presidents on dollar bills." He wishes that were it.

But McCain does need to raise fears about Obama - that is, play on voters' worries about electing a man they don't know who has only a few years of experience in federal office. (Indeed, Obama's only been in the Senate since 2005 - and he spent most of 2007 and 2008 running for president, paying almost no attention to his duties in the Senate - as witness his absentee record.)

These fears will focus on two key areas: the economy and national security.

McCain needs voters to hear repeatedly - from top economists and office-holders - that Obama's tax-hike plans spell economic doom. The campaign must explain that Obama is not simply raising taxes on the rich - that he's crippling their ability to generate jobs, make investments and produce wealth. (For example: "When Obama says he'll only tax the rich, he's saying he will only tax the engine room, not the rest of the ship.")


The public must learn what the impact of doubling the tax on capital gains would be - how it would drive investment out of the country and cost us one to two points a year in economic growth for the rest of the decade.

Voters must hear how Obama can't possibly finance his programs - particularly his health-insurance schemes - with the tax hikes he's advocating. They need to ponder the impact of these tax hikes on an already slowing economy - it's legitimate to fear a new depression, not just a recession.

Economics is a field voters don't know much about and, consequently, fear greatly. Obama can capitalize on the current hard times - but he can lose big time if the impact of his tax policies is explained.

On national security, events could take over and put the issue center stage. But McCain must lay the groundwork to take advantage of whatever situation develops. He needs to hammer home the accusation that Obama is "naive" and "inexperienced" - both of which are obviously true. He should run ads mocking Obama's claim that Iran is a "tiny nation" that could pose no real threat to the United States. He needs to hit hard at Obama's plans for Iraq and Afghanistan, hammer at Obama's opposition to the surge and refusal to vote to pay for the troops.

The offshore-drilling issue helps McCain, but it doesn't conjure the kind of fear that national security and the economy do. McCain has a long task ahead of him of burying Obama's credibility on these issues, and he needs to begin right away.

For better or worse, this election is about Obama. It is a referendum on the Democratic candidate and his agenda of change. McCain is a well-known commodity: Voter opinions of him are not likely to change much in the next three months. But their view of Obama is subject to wild fluctuation.

That's why the undecided vote right now is running at twice its 2004 percentage at this time in the race. That's why older women are withholding their approval of Obama. McCain can and must use August to tilt these doubts into negatives.

It's starting to look like McCain can win - if he does the right things.

His wife is a good writer.

Just listened to Nobama on the radio.... what the libtard doesn't get is I don't want to use 15% less energy... I don't want our country looking like the USSR did in the 60's either. That is what he disastrous plans would achieve.

I want more energy and I want it cheap and plentiful...

More Drilling and more nuke plants.

Thanks Rich, I am going to order a couple Nobama bumper stickers this afternoon.

That aught to get the local libtards excited. LOL

Listening to Nobama is almost as annoying as listening to either Gore or Kerry. Those boys had really bad voices. Nobama just sounds about as experienced as a community organizer.

What the hell is a community organizer anyway?

Did you guys see Paris Hilton ran a campaign ad?

She is certainly has a better resume than the chosen one, the half black Muslim, Nobama. LOL

I heard the dirty old arab, Helen Thomas pass away?

How could anyone tell?

21 st Century Ponzi Scheme.

This is just screaming for Gov't regulators. Look at the bottom of the pile and you'll see algore getting fatter and richer.

F.T.C. Asks if Carbon-Offset Money Is Well Spent


http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/09/business/09offsets.html?_r=1&em&ex=1200027600&en=6f039bee328853cb&ei=5087&oref=slogin

I also see that B'HO is continuing to lag in the polls. His buddies algore and kerry were in double digit leads this time in their respective races.

I am beginning to think 'ol screwball McShame may win in a landslide. Watch, if McLame wins by even one vote the lb'tards and the dinosaur media will claim racism.

That would be almost as fun as watching the Packers choke and lose a playoff game. LOL

http://www.theseminal.com/2008/08/04/2228995-goes-a-long-way-with-some-members/

This could help explain the activity that is going on now on Capitol Hill.

Unpoor, there is absolutely no doubt that if or when Sen. B. Hussein Osama Obama (D-Iran) loses the election, the drive by media as well as charlatans like Rev. Sharpton WILL scream racism. It will be heralded as proof that America is a racist country. Marxists throughout the world will use it as yet another reason to hate us. It will be untrue, but I am certain they will say it.

Helen Thomas is not dead. She just smells like it.

Unpoor, a community organizer makes protest signs and gets people to come to protests and rallies.

Hannity has invited Sen. B. Hussein Obama to co-host his radio program. Of course, Obama won't do it. But it reminds me of something that I can't stand. When conservatives have liberal kooks on their shows, the conservative is unfailingly nice to the liberal. The conservative always tones down his disagreements in an effort to be pleasant. Meanwhile, liberal hosts brutalize any conservatives that are on their shows. I hate it.

The National Enquirer has more news about John "The Breck Girl" Edwards and his love child. The drive by media continues to ignore the story for purely political reasons.

I thought that the McVain-Feingold Act got all the big money out of politics. Wasn't that the mantra that we heard over and over again from the drive by media and from McVain himself? Well, wasn't it? Then we have the case of Sen. B. Hussein Obama, who has disavowed his earlier pledge and rejected campaign spending limits, raising already a record sum of $340 million. At least a third of this war chest has come from big donors. In fact, he has dozens of "bundlers" who have each brought in millions from corporations, wallstreet, and other big money interests. I thought there were limits on individual contributions. I thought that businesses could not contribute. I suppose I am naive. Hell, the Chinese Communist government funneled millions to the Clintons, so anything is possible. How many millions from the "bundlers" came from CAIR, Hamas, and other Islamic groups? I'd like to know that, but we will never know because there will be no "investigative reporting" on the matter.

The more details people hear about the ex-community organizer from Chicago, the less they like him.

How many average voters out there know that Sen. B. Hussein Obama made $4.2 million last year? Few. Thanks to the drive by media, most think that he is just the usual Messiah who has taken a vow of poverty.

Unpoor, Dick Morris has a valid point. This election really looks like it is going to be a referendum on Obama. Do we trust him? Do we think he can do the job? Are we comfortable with the direction he would take the country? Basically, is he radical enough and inexperienced enough that the voters are going to decide that they would be more comfortable with a boring but more experienced candidate like McVain?

There is an element of unpredictability to both of these candidates. Obama is very reluctant to take positions and reveal what he really thinks about many issues because he knows that his radical brand of Marxism will not sell except in a few leftist enclaves like San Marin County. McVain, on the other hand, is equally unpredictable. He is not as reluctant to take a position, but one never knows what he will ultimately do. He panders and his whole Washington-insider view of the world is based on compromise. I firmly believe that he would sell out his own mother to get a bill passed that will enhance his so-called bipartisan image.

Unpoor, Packers choking? I don't think it's choking if they are expected to fail. LOL

Ace,
I like the one that just says 'NOBAMA 08' although to one that says "fooling some of the people all of the time" has its appeal.

Hmmm, appears that Dana Wilbank has been kicked off Keith Olberman's Countdown because of the article he wrote about Mr Obama's overseas trip.

Those folks who so gleefully posted Mr Wilbanks article, comments???

BD, Dana Milbank.....looking for the details.....

AHA!! Found the link..
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/05/dana-milbank-leaving-coun_n_116997.html?page=6

Well, that is in keeping with the Daily Kos, that stalwart defender of freedom of speech....only so long as it agrees with their radical left POV!

BobbyGee,

Posted by: BobbyGee on Aug 05, 08 | 7:04 pm

There is a certain libertarian streak in me that does not look at all kindly on “the nanny state”.

The idea of “banning indiscriminate breeding of children by persons without the resources or ability to adequately nourish, care for, and raise children to be responsible adults” is not at all new. I remember discussing it with the driver of a trolley car in 1954. I also remember that an eavesdropper got quite huffy and said “nobody’s gonna tell me how many kids I can have!” though the conversation had not gone in that direction.

Parents are the first teachers of children and if they do not do a good enough job in that role, society (all of us) end up having that responsibility devolve upon us. Many kids never do catch up. Others struggle with trying to learn but never have any encouragement at home to excel.

Of course any such discussion sooner or later considers the question of population growth and whether or not limiting the number of children must be undertaken in consideration of limited resources such as food supplies.

And that takes the debate back to education (in a way) because hungry kids don’t learn as well as others.

There are, as well, many other “ifs” which must be considered in any discussion of limiting population growth including the subject of illegitimacy, children having children and many others.

Also at issue would be whether contraception should or should not be available—a subject of deep concern to some—which in turn leads to broaching the topic of “forced abortion” as practiced in China.

One idea I heard bandied about years ago was that of instituting a civic rite of passage into adulthood. It was suggested that every society has such a rite of passage (from the tribes researched by Margaret Mead in “Coming of Age in Samoa”, to the aboriginal tribes of Australia, to the religious ceremonies in every faith—ceremonies such as that through in which a Jewish boy declares (after much study) “Today I am a man” and “confirmation” in Christian churches—in all of which the society invests itself in making certain youth are prepared and able to accept the responsibilities of being an adult capable of contributing to the welfare of the “tribe”.

In the discussion of this subject, it was suggested that as part of such a rite of passage both boys and girls have inculcated in them what their responsibilities are in matters sexual—both as to how pregnancies occur, what the responsibilities of being a parent are, how to protect oneself against STDs, and (Saint’s preserve us!), even about different gender identifications.
The suggestion was voiced that boys be tested frequently and when they are found to be producing viable sperm samples be taken and banked.

The individual who suggested that went on to offer that once those viable samples were preserved, the boy be given a “reversible” vasectomy which procedure could be reversed once the boy was in a stable relationship capable of supporting a family without recourse to public assistance.

It was also suggested that (in view of the AIDS epidemic) the earlier youth could learn about human sexuality the better. One of those involved noted that experts on AIDS noted that the average time from infection to full-blown AIDS was 11 years and that those who were dying from the disease in their early 20s were probably not exposed to the virus at 18 or 19 but (probably/possibly) in their pre-teens.

I wonder just how “society” will end up addressing all aspects of the subject and am certain that no matter which course of action is decided on their will be radicalized persons of every sort just as there are today.

Sorry for meandering on so long.

ALBERT M. FORGET

Posted by: richstacy on Aug 06, 08 | 1:15 pm

I saw those too... may need to order a couple. That was the best site I have seen posted here for quite a while... really a hoot. LOL

Posted by: big dog on Aug 06, 08 | 3:48 pm

BD: Isn't Keith Obersman some sports caster on a third rate network? And we should care why?

“banning indiscriminate breeding of children by persons without the resources or ability to adequately nourish, care for, and raise children to be responsible adults”
Posted by: afroggy2 on Aug 06, 08 | 6:03 pm

Oh, BullFrog: I like that one...

Fix welfare whores... (I mean just like they do with unwanted cats and dogs)

Problem solved.

NEXT.....

Helen Thomas is not dead. She just smells like it.



Posted by: montego on Aug 06, 08 | 12:15 pm


Regardless, bury her.

Problem solved,
NEXT......

(five more and I have a platform!)

"ich Bin Ein Phoney"

Rich: That's a good one too...LOL

BobbyGee....

The Founder of Planned Parenthood was a big proponent of eugenics, and wrote many an article about the inferiority of the Black race. Yet the radical left constantly supports Planned Parenthood, and constantly denies its racist roots. Now, some might say they are no longer what they were, but there were recent stories about Planned Parenthood telling donors they could earmark donations only for aborting Black babies........you be the judge.

Big Dog:

Speaking of Olbermann.....

http://digg.com/2008_us_elections/MSOBAMA_or_the_Olbermann_Smear?t=17589464#c17589464

Barak Hussein Obama is the POSTER CHILD for affirmative action.
My husband graduated from Columbia University.....of course it was at a time when you had to get admitted on YOUR OWN INTELLIGENCE and not because there was a quota of blacks and women which needed to be filled. Both my sons have gradated from University's and hold masters degrees....BUT they earned them ON THEIR OWN...with no help, either finacial or otherwise.
Obama and his missus are typical affirmative action junkies....dumber than dirt and who pretend to be as smart as you an I.
Barak has yet to figure out that we do not have 58 stars on our flag....Giant Putz!

Ace,

Posted by: Ace on Aug 05, 08 | 10:47 pm

Your posting was rather interesting and I took the time to access the link you provided.

That link consisted entirely of opinions offered by Ed Morrissey (a “conservative” blogger” relative to a column in the Detroit News.

In other words what you offered was the opinion of a blogger regarding an opinion offered by an editorial staff.

But in it all you quoted no facts and either misconstrued or completely ignored what Senator Obama had actually said.

You called our attention to one article and then quoted from another without giving attribution in any case.

It is true that Mr. Obama suggested that if we were to follow the lead of California across the nation, we could reduce our demand for electricity by 15 percent by the end of the next decade (2020).

Do you intrinsically think that is a bad suggestion and, if you do, why?

In Mr. Morrissey’s “Hot Air” article he wrote “Draining the [Strategic Petroleum Reserve] would drop consumer fuel costs for the short run, as would any sudden increase in supply. But then what? Once the reserves are gone, prices would go back up, and perhaps even higher because the reserves ultimately would have to be replaced.”

But Senator Obama did not suggest “Draining the Strategic Petroleum Reserve”

The SPR presently holds 705 million barrels of oil.

Mr. Obama has suggested releasing up to 7 million barrels of the reserve as a way to help increase market supplies and drive down the price at the pump.

For anybody who might be interested in knowing exactly what Barack Obama said in his speech in Youngstown, OH, on August 5, 2008—and fair-minded people might want to consider the facts rather than biased commentary on biased commentary—the entire text is available on “The Council on Foreign Relations” website at http://www.cfr.org/publication/16903/obamas_speech_on_energy_youngstown_ohio.html?breadcrumb=%2Fcampaign2008%2F

It was rather difficult to navigate through your post, Ace, because of the lack of attribution of the materials and because of the fact that but a single quotation mark was used whereas almost everything you offered consisted of quotations from others.

Anyway, thanks for providing the initial link. It was somehow almost fun to discover that everything you offered was comprised of the opinions of others.

ALBERT M. FORGET

...but there were recent stories about Planned Parenthood telling donors they could earmark donations only for aborting Black babies........you be the judge.



Posted by: Ridgeliner on Aug 06, 08 | 6:40 pm


Ummmm, senior moment here... which is the bad part?

QUOTE: "The more details people hear about the ex-community organizer from Chicago, the less they like him."

A little birdie told me October is going to be a very good month for John McCain and for America. I wonder what country we can expect the Obamabots to flee to?

Racism, and racist jokes are always in poor taste, always wrong, and always convey more than one wants to know about the person making them, their upbringing and lack of class......

Obama's Muslim-Outreach Adviser Resigns


http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121797906741214995.html?mod=rss_whats_news_us


Chicago lawyer Mazen Asbahi, who was the national coordinator for Muslim American affairs for the Obama campaign, resigned because his involvement with a radical Chicago Imam was brought to light.

I wonder why Obama needs a national Muslim coordinator. It seems to me that campaigns are structured like the government. I bet he doesn't have a national Christian coordinator or a Jewish coordinator.

Obama's true colors are starting to show.

What a minute bullfrog, We have on video Nobama say additional drilling will not relieve the price of oil but now he is suggesting that dumping a days worth of oil strategic reserves would? Nobama really is stupid.

That doesn't make any sense... What it boils down to is Nobama is against American growth and the Pelosi libtard energy policy will not support lon